


talking honestly

by totallytobedetermined



Category: GTA V RP, NoPixel, no pixel
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Divorce, Drinking & Talking, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Friends to Lovers, Infidelity, Light Angst, M/M, Misunderstandings, Possibly Unrequited Love, Smut, bobby is an unobservant mess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-02
Updated: 2020-03-15
Packaged: 2021-02-28 03:40:45
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 25,921
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22977073
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/totallytobedetermined/pseuds/totallytobedetermined
Summary: Revelations about soon-to-be-Trooper AJ Hunter surface while the Chief of Police shares a few drinks with the city’s meanest Judge.Honesty hour wasn’t his best idea, Bobby’s starting to realize.
Relationships: AJ Hunter/Bobby Smith
Comments: 6
Kudos: 58





	1. smitten’s a bad look on me

**Author's Note:**

> Bad Ideas by Tessa Violet really sets the tone for this whole thing. Also, it made its way to the title and chapter titles. The whole song is just so the two of them, I can’t. 
> 
> I needed some slightly angsty, slightly fluffy aj/bobby in my life and this came tumbling out. I just love those two idiots and I want them to be happy. 
> 
> Anyway, this is lightly edited by my dumbass so please forgive any mistakes. I have but three brain cells and two of them are dedicated to bj sunter at the moment. 
> 
> Enjoy!

~~xxxx~~

Bobby is in need of some real, kick-him-in-the-ass, brutal _honesty_ right now. 

That’s why he’s nursing his fifth juniper and clove Cosmo under Katya’s steely gaze, surrounded by hipsters and mood lighting that is far too dark. He doesn’t like these high end, gastro-mixology, bullshit bars that Los Santos is famous for; he’s a dive bar kinda guy. 

Unfortunately, Copper has been blatantly ignoring his off duty texts and phone calls for about a month now. Bobby’s at his mental breaking point, the divorce and new position on the force piling up only to crash down on him, every waking moment more stressful and bleak than the last. He wanted his best friend to turn to, but instead he has Katya. 

Cold, blunt, unfiltered Katya. 

But hey, he wanted some words of wisdom in response to his venting, and Katya was sure to give him that, and then some. 

“-and now I might have to suspend my soon-to-be ex-husband. It looks bad, it _feels_ bad… But, as the Chief, if I don’t… doesn’t it look worse?... And don’t even get me started on this new batch of recruits,” he’s rambling, foot bouncing under the round, glass table they’re sitting at. He’d been aggressively staring into the burgundy concoction in his glass, swirling it back and forth, when Katya clears her throat, causing his eyes to finally raise to hers. 

“Okay… so, new recruits are always fucking terrible. What’s new?” she drones, pausing to chug back the rest of her obnoxiously green drink before continuing, “I think the question I have for you is _whhhhy_?”

Bobby blinks at Katya dumbly. He’d been monologuing for like ten minutes, and she’s asking him why, to nothing in particular?

“Why, what?”

“Why is he your _soon-to-be ex-husband_?”

And if that just isn’t the most loaded fucking question; one he doesn’t like answering anymore, one that haunts his fucking dreams. Uneasiness makes its way to its familiar home under his ribs, pushing at his heart. He thinks about all the proper, socially acceptable answers he’s given in the past, and promptly decides _fuck it_. 

Honesty _is_ the theme of the night. 

“Slightly because Raven doesn’t understand the first thing about family and what it means to support them, even when it makes your own life more difficult. Mostly because I fucked AJ Hunter.”

“Ahhhh. Right! Well, that will do it, huh?” Katya says with the same, old dismissive tone in her voice, though she is leaned in, elbows on the table and seemingly invested in the conversation.

“Yeah, _yeah_. It sure did,” Bobby mumbles, spiraling thoughts beginning to creep in. 

He really fucked the whole thing up, didn’t he? Raven could have worked on his issues, and Bobby could have helped him. Zelda was there too, and she loves the man. They all could have worked to make things better… maybe. 

And yeah, there were deep seeded issues, starting with the vicious fights about the wedding venue, then later, Raven refusing to listen to Bobby talk about his past or his family. God help him if he tried to inquire about _Raven’s_ past, that was a one way ticket to a screaming match that lasted until dawn. 

He went days without seeing his husband, because Raven was off drinking himself to death in his office. When he did finally find him on duty, he acted like nothing was wrong. And it’s not like Bobby minded sleeping alone, in a comfy Vinewood mansion, but it’s not normal, not right, from his perspective. 

It seemed like they got married and _then_ Bobby saw all the holes in their relationship, slowly tearing and getting wider with each day of being wed. 

But, it could have been repaired, right?

If he didn’t sleep with AJ, everything would be so different… right? 

“Why?”

The word breaks Bobby from his trance, his good eye focusing on the woman from where he’d been staring blankly over her shoulder. His eyebrows shoot up, confused yet again by Katya’s one word question. 

“What?”

“Why’d you sleep with Hunter?”

He doesn’t know how to answer that honestly. He doesn’t know how to answer that and not tear himself apart emotionally. There was the line he’d been giving, _Raven disappeared and I have physical needs._ But, he doesn’t think that’s the truth. Not when he really looks back on it all. It’s a convenient answer that people believe because they think Bobby is shallow and dumb. 

He still answers her as candidly as he can, though. 

“Because… I wanted to.”

“That’s it?” Katya scoffs, folding her hands together on the table, leaning back and giving him an appraising once over, like she was impressed. “That’s some real hoe energy, Chief, not gonna lie. Respect.”

She goes for the fist bump, which Bobby pointedly ignores. He actually ignores everything she’s just said and goes back to staring at the putrid mess in his glass. 

“Seriously, _Bobby_? I need some love, a little tappy-tap. One slut to the other,” she continues, wiggling her fist in front of his face. He pushes her hand down gently, covering it with his own when he replies,

“No, _Katya_ , that’s not how it happened. I didn’t just fuck the first guy to offer. I didn’t-,” Bobby cuts himself off and lets out a long sigh, pulling his hand back from his friend to rub over his face. He doesn’t know how to finish his thought, the words refusing to come to fruition. 

“Oh! Ohhhh…,” she smirks, like everything was coming together for her and she was about to make her verdict, “You have the feels for Hunter.”

“ _What?!_ No, that’s not-,” Bobby is quick in shutting her down, but he can’t help the pitch his voice suddenly takes, or the fact that the people around them turn to glance at the pair, alerted by what Katya would call Bobby’s womanly screech of protest. 

Of course, she interrupts him, 

“Yes, dude. I am _always_ right about these things. Always. Don’t lie to me.”

Bobby hates her stupid wagging finger, red nail bobbing in his face as she accosts him. He swats it down and leans in, angrily gritting out,

“Stop. That’s _absolutely_ not what’s going on! Don’t just-,” he manages to get out, before Katya’s arms stretch out over her head, a beaming smile taking over her face, as she disrupt his thoughts once again,

“Yes it is, Bobby! It totally is! You are _soooo_ smitten for this boy. Awww, how long has this been going on? After the separation or before?,” she belted, not giving a single fuck how much attention she was drawing. Elated, she pressed her palms under her chin, fingers tapping along her cheeks, waiting for the answer like a school girl gossiping at a sleepover, lip biting and all. 

Bobby can’t think of the right words to tell Katya how wrong she is, that AJ is his colleague and now subordinate. Of course he likes AJ, and they’ve been close friends for a long time, he was even supposed to be one of his groomsmen... But he wasn’t, was he? AJ didn’t actually show up, bailing at the last minute, and making him have to find a replacement. 

They’ve never talked about it, he’s just now realizing. Bobby didn’t catch him on duty for a couple months and then, when he did, the interaction was fine, _forced_ , but no different than before. It was easy to carry on, move past the incident and return to their friendship, but it was never quite the same. 

They never had deep, meaningful conversations in their cruiser on a dead part of the shift anymore. They never got lunch. AJ never texted three minutes before when he knew Bobby’s shift was gonna end and badger him to get a beer. That stuff was all gone. They were coworker friends, that’s it. 

And Bobby had been so wrapped up in his own life, he never really noticed. He never tried to reach out after the wedding, busy with houses and promotions and building a broken, little family. He never even thought about it, never fucking thought about AJ until Raven ran off for nearly a month. 

A sharp pang of realization hits him in the gut. He feels like the worst kind of asshole, while also trying to make sense of his decisions. Trying to understand why, when his husband leaves the city during their separation, he runs to confide in _AJ_? The first person he leans on and goes to for comfort is him? 

The biggest kicker is AJ just let him. 

AJ teased about a promotion and a fast track to Trooper. His dumb little smirk, and wide, anxious eyes giving his leniency on the stipulation away. Bobby knew the younger man didn’t really give a fuck about a promotion when they agreed to it that night, but it made AJ feel safe and in control. 

Bobby never called him on it, and AJ never gave him any knowing, suggestive glances when he finally earned Sergeant. That promotion wasn’t even his decision, but it was a nice place for Bobby to hide. He could pretend the encounter was professional, just business. 

It’s starting to dawn on the daft man that his decision to go home with AJ wasn’t anything other than personal for him. He fucked AJ because the offer on the table was new, but felt familiar. He trusted AJ. 

Bobby hoped AJ was smart enough to not trust him back, because that seemed like a really shitty decision on his part. 

Bobby wonders if this is affecting the cocky man at all like it suddenly is him. 

“Are you stroking out? I know you’re old, Bobby, I just don’t know how to proceed from here,” Katya intones, shocking him back to attention. She looks bored to tears and kinda smug, sipping on a new green drink, full and icy. 

“What?,” he grunts out emptily, no emotion behind the question. 

He doesn’t know how long he’s been processing all this new information, but a chunk of time has obviously passed. Katya is staring at him expectantly, nails clinking along the side of her glass and Bobby doesn’t know what to say to her. He doesn’t really know how to feel in general. 

“You don’t usually think this hard, huh?,” she asks, chuckling. Bobby can’t focus on her, or this night, at all anymore. He’s playing conversations and glances over and over in his head, trying to pinpoint the moment AJ became a much bigger player in his life than he realized. 

He tries to think back on the last year of his life, dissecting Raven from the picture, honing in on the presence of the twenty something British asshole. It’s starting to give him a headache. 

He pulls out his phone and sends the Sergeant a quick _what’re you up to right now?_ text. It’s probably not smart to be reaching out to the source of his internal turmoil before sobering up and figuring out what he wants, how he actually feels. But, the sickly sweet drinks were doing their job and making him more forthright and vulnerable than he usually is. 

“Ok, well, it seems like you probably just shot off a booty call text to your boy toy, so I’m gonna go settle this tab,” Katya teases, standing from the table, scrubbing the top of Bobby’s head like an over-eager little league coach as she makes her way to the bar. 

He’s left to his thoughts, playing with the phone nervously. He’s not expecting an immediate reply, but he wants it. Wants to go see AJ and…

And what? 

Confess his feelings? 

Talk it out? 

Crawl into his lap and beg AJ to hurt him, beg the man to hold him down and take what he needs? (Because that’s all he could handle right now, being _this_ drunk and _this_ aware that all he truly wants is to matter to AJ.)

The phone vibrates in his palm, sending a shiver down his spine and jerking him into alertness. He’s never opened a text faster in his life. 

**smoking myself stupid and watching some trash on tv. what’re you up to chief?**

Honesty hour was with Katya, not AJ. He only feels a little bad about suddenly lying to the man. 

_Bad grindr date, looking for an excuse to leave._

AJ replies instantly, 

**im great at being an excuse... the best actually. i think i might be dying so you should come check on me ;)**

Bobby huffs out a laugh through his nose. He’s always known how to steer AJ into doing what he wants, and come to think about it, AJ is pretty phenomenal at taking up whatever role he needs to play for his boss. 

_Oh no. I’ll be right over. Ping me your address again._

**good and done <3**

“Bobby, Bobby, Bobby…” Katya chastises in his ear, smirk apparent in her voice. Bobby is startled with the realization that she’s been standing over his shoulder, privy to the short exchange between him and his… friend? (Bobby needs to figure this shit out.) 

She doesn’t return to her seat, just grabs her purse and slings it over a shoulder while moving to stand adjacent to the blond. She gives him a sobering look, like she’s looking into him and figuring out his darkest secrets. 

“You know, you’re kind of a pussy.”

Bobby laughs out, nodding, “Yeah, I can be.”

“Want a ride?”

Bobby glances at the coordinates on his phone and asks, “To the apartments in Vinewood, the nice ones?”

Katya assesses him, like she’s trying to decide whether to 51-50 him or go in for another fist bump. She chooses to instead loop her arm through his, pulling him out of his seat and starting towards the exit of the trendy bar. 

“Sure, Bobby, anything for my favorite Chief.”

~~xxxx~~


	2. i hope that you don't think i'm rude

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this spiraled out of control, and i'm not mad about it. 
> 
> like usual, this is edited by me, so it's prolly a shitshow. i hope y'all can overlook that.
> 
> lastly, bj sunter forever <3

~~xxxx~~

Bobby has Katya drop him off at the intersection near AJ’s apartment building, liquid confidence fueling him towards the man’s home and allowing him to disregard the voice in his head screaming, _what the fuck are you gonna do when you get to him, idiot?_ He does indeed falter once he gets there, staring at the peeling golden knocker hanging in front of him and wondering what he’ll do next. Does he ask AJ to fuck him, take the easy road? Or does he hunker down and try to _talk_ to him?

He decides to play it fast and loose, slamming his fist against the sturdy wood before he can talk himself out of it and takes a step back, arms crossed over his chest to look unbothered. 

This strategy fails him when AJ yanks open the door in nothing but a pair of threadbare flannel pajama pants. They’re hanging low on his hips and Bobby sways a little because of the alcohol in his system. (It’s definitely because of the booze, not because he’s instantly turned on and wants to suck at his defined hipbones.)

When Bobby fails to say anything, AJ giggles and pulls him roughly into the apartment, hand clenched in his blue button up. He doesn’t get the chance to decide on a course of action once he’s crossed the threshold, because AJ is slamming him against the nearest wall, attacking his lips while whipping the door shut. 

It’s easy to give in to the Sergeant, hands tangling in his dark hair and deepening the kiss like it's natural, like this is how they greet each other everyday. Bobby can’t help the little moan that slips out when AJ bites down on his bottom lip, pulling back with it and sucking. It causes the brunette to giggle again, a sound Bobby realizes he has missed, “Well aren’t we eager, Chief?”

“AJ… I-,” he starts, almost appreciative when he’s interrupted so that he doesn’t have to decide what he’s going to say next. 

“Don’t. It’s okay, we don’t have to like, fill this with small talk, ya know?” he assures so sincerely Bobby’s chest aches but, the desperate part in him has to have this conversation. He pulls back because he needs AJ to know about the things that have changed for him in the last two hours. Bobby just needs to find the right words to get out. 

“Why didn’t you come to my wedding?”

( _Terrible words,_ he thinks to himself, _just the worst fucking words I could’ve said._ )

AJ blanches, pulls away and stands up straighter, turning defensive in a quick fashion. Bobby feels a bit cold now that he isn’t being pressed against a wall and wonders if he made the right decision to bring any of this up. 

“What?! I had something come up and- Why are you bringing this up? Now?”

He seemed agitated and not completely behind his own answer, arms crossing over his chest, looking anywhere but at Bobby. He may be drunk, but he can still sense bullshit deflection when it’s in front of him. 

“‘Cause _now_ , I wanna know. What came up? Why didn’t you tell anyone?” Bobby presses, pushing away from the wall and raising to full height. He’s invested in AJ’s response, even with how callous it comes out,

“Because of what we’re doing now! You think it’s fair for me to be in your wedding party when I want to fuck you?”

“That’s the real reason? ‘Cause you wanted a fuck… seriously? I thought it was a PD joke that your dick ruled your life, but here we are,” Bobby bursts, verging on enraged suddenly over the weak answer he received. Rejection hits him in the face and he flushes hot, feeling dumb, like a fool. He wants to leave and hide, he wants to punch AJ in the jaw, he wants to not exist. 

“Yeah, whatever. _I’m_ _so sorry_ , Bobby!” AJ bellowed right back, his own version of instantly pissed off coming out while continuing, “Sorry I _really, really_ didn’t want to have to watch the guy I want to be fucking every night, marry someone else. Guess I should have just manned up then, huh, _Chief_?”

AJ is humming with displeased energy, reaching back and pulling the front door wide open, leaning against it slightly and avoiding Bobby’s gaze: the least subtle sign for _conversation over, get the fuck out._

This has all dissolved so quickly, and Bobby really wasn’t prepared for any level of anger to be exploding from the both of them. It doesn’t stop the overwhelming, out of control feeling he was trapped under though. He jerks the door out of AJ’s grasp and slams it back shut, much too harshly for past midnight on a weekday, but Bobby can’t give a fuck in the moment. 

“So which is it, Hunter? Did you just want to sleep with me, or did you want us to be _fucking,_ as you so eloquently put it?”

He needs this shit spelled out for him, he can’t read between the lines well when he was sober and not hyped up on rage. AJ was quick with a rebuttal, eyes darting from his boss to the now shut door,

“Back then? I don’t know! I mean, how could I? You were shackled to Raven before you were even a full fledged officer. What good was it in trying anything with you when _he_ was in the picture?”

“Well, he’s not anymore! So, you want to maybe answer my fucking question?” Bobby’s blood was running hot, he felt amped up like a live wire with the alcohol still coursing through his veins. He can’t hold back his encroaching panic at which answer he’ll receive. 

“Fucking you every night would leave me very little time to fuck other people, _Bobby_ , if that’s the answer you’re looking for.”

“...Why can’t you just say it?,” he almost begs, defeated, tired of AJ’s posturing. 

“Why can’t you?!” The younger man screams, face turning a mean red, arms flinging out in front of him in exasperation. 

_Cause I just realized it an hour ago!_ he thinks to himself, not liking his question being turned around on him, but remaining semi-calm and going for self deprecation when he answers,

“Because I’m dead inside, what’s your excuse?” 

“Yeah, alright. You’re _so_ dead inside, you’re asking me all these _totally_ emotionless questions about the two of us before you fucked off with some idiot that broke your heart,” he hisses back, eyebrows pinched and hands now balled up at his sides. 

“Why can’t you _say_ it, AJ?” Bobby reiterated, refusing to emotionally bend before knowing he’s not signing up for another closed off asshole who can’t openly care for him. 

“What?! That I want to be with you?! Will that make everything right, just saying it?,” and with such a revelation, Bobby should be sated; he isn’t. 

“Maybe.”

“I want to be with you!” AJ relents with a cracked yell, curling back into himself after saying it, like he’s trying to protect himself, “I’ve always wanted to see what that would feel like. I always thought we would work, if we just had a shot. But, fuck, man! Your life got complicated really fast, you didn’t need me wasting anymore of your time.”

Bobby wants to throw up. 

“You’re not a waste of my time,” he whispers into the heated silence AJ had left in the air, his meek words of comfort doing nothing to soothe the man. The Sergeant’s body is thrumming, seeming to bounce where he’s stood in place without moving, like a dog trapped in a corner. 

“Maybe not now. I didn’t- it didn’t bother me to see you be happy with Raven. It bothered me when you’d stay with me after your shift and tell me shit like I was special to you, when were all alone patrolling the docks or Paleto. Only for you to go home to _him_. And then it fucking gutted me that you wanted me to watch you fucking marry that big mouthed, small dicked, asshole!”

The confession knocks him in the gut again, leaving him slack jawed and still. He wants to say a dozen things at once in response, staring into AJ’s big, angry doe eyes. 

_“I’m so sorry, AJ, I mean it. I didn’t know.”_

_“I didn’t think we were even in the same league. Have you seen yourself?”_

_“I never meant to hurt you, I just wasn’t paying attention to your feelings... I think I might be a sociopath.”_

_“I’m really good at fucking up. Just so you know.”_

_“I miss the way you laugh when I do something stupid. I miss seeing your smile directed at me.”_

Bobby doesn’t get the chance to say any of those things though as AJ takes control of the conversation back, body deflating as he traces the contours of Bobby’s downtrodden face with his own sad expression. 

“Look… It’s not your fault you found someone you loved and expected your friends to be happy for you. It’s my fault for being a little bitch about it all.”

Bobby doesn’t think he’s ever seen the man look so small, shrinking into himself but still staring at him, not sure what to do next. 

He needs to reply, needs to say something to the new information AJ was laying out like it’s nothing. He’s being more vulnerable and truthful than Bobby could ever imagine being. He deserves something honest in return. 

Instead, Bobby lunges for the man, hands digging into the sides of his face as he forces their mouths together. Hungry desperation takes over and he’s trying so hard to feed the dark haired man the words he can’t say, teeth harsh and tongue searching in his mouth. 

AJ grabs him, pulling them completely flush while allowing Bobby to continue his assault, passive for the moment. The new pressure around his mid section spurs the blond on, entwining his arms completely around his neck, pushing the kiss on longer than he thought he was going to. He doesn’t want AJ to talk anymore, doesn’t want to hear the raw emotion in his voice. He wants to apologize for being the worst person in the world with his tongue. 

Hands have rucked up Bobby’s top, rough palms splayed over his ribs, rubbing at the skin like they’re trying to memorize every bump and scar. AJ is pushing him back to the wall, resuming where they had left off and finally participating in the biting kiss. Nipping at his plump bottom lip again, Bobby let’s the younger man take over control of the situation. His own hands fall from the handsome face in front of him, AJ’s coming up to cup his chiseled jaw and turn Bobby where he needed to fully lick into his mouth, mark his territory. 

The sounds that spill from him are swallowed by AJ, who’s pushing harder, pressing himself against the Chief like he’s never going to let him leave his hold. 

_Don’t, please don’t ever make me leave,_ Bobby thinks as he begins to move his hips against the man’s, desperate to feel more. 

“Bobby,” he pulls away to groan like it’s painful, still gripping the older man’s jaw tight. AJ looks hurt, his mouth is opening and closing, stuck on some thought that won’t make its way out. Bobby wants to kiss the uneasiness away, but doesn’t, let’s the man have his own moment to pull himself together. “...I don’t know what I’m doing. I don’t do _feelings_ , I’ve never… I’ve never even been in a real relationship. I don’t know if I can give you what you need. I’m… I think I’m fucking broken-,”

His words choke in his throat and cut off, still snug against his boss’s body, caressing his face and looking like he wants to cry. AJ is breaking down, the picture of a little kid at their wits end. It makes Bobby ache, he’s never seen him in this state. All he wants to do is make it better. 

So, he pushes his hands away and envelopes the younger man in his arms, moving his head into the crook of his neck. AJ dissolves into the embrace, letting out a breath that sounds haggard and feels wet against his neck. He’s shaking and can only grip onto Bobby to help steady the emotions spilling out. He runs a hand up and down AJ’s lean back, the other tangling in his dark hair, scratching at his scalp soothingly. Bobby doesn’t say anything, he just holds AJ while he staves off the beginnings of a panic attack, trembling in his arms. 

He doesn’t think the younger man is broken, he thinks he’s scared. That, he understands, the same dread crashing down on him when he thinks about his past. AJ takes the support being given, shuddering when Bobby presses soft kisses to the side of his head, breathing against his hair in a comforting manner. 

It’s an incredibly vulnerable moment, one that has Bobby reevaluating his entire life going forward.

He doesn’t know if he’s ready to jump back into something as serious as he had with Raven. He doesn’t know if he even has the emotional capacity for it at the moment, burnt out more days than not. But he knows he cares deeply about this man. He wants to be here with him while he wades through these new waters, wants to be an anchoring hand to lead the inexperienced boy through the unknown. Bobby doesn’t think he could bear to see anyone else in AJ’s life filling that spot, doesn’t trust anyone but himself to make sure the boy gets what he deserves. 

And that’s telling in a lot of ways. 

He couldn’t imagine helping Raven in this way, couldn’t imagine being given the opportunity. His husband has never wanted his help, his support, he just wanted Bobby there. Sometimes to make him feel good, sometimes to look good. But never for any reason that had depth. 

_You make me want to be a better man_ , rings in his head, the same old sentiment Bobby was always given when he asked why Raven loved him. 

AJ doesn’t make him want to be a better man, he makes him want to be there, be present. He wants all the bad shit with the younger man as much as he wants the good shit, because he inherently trusts him to want the same. The open and wanton display he gave tonight shows Bobby just how right he is in that opinion of AJ. 

He never inherently trusted Raven, he’d have to talk himself into it, for the time being, for a certain moment. 

It’s different with the Sergeant, because it feels easy. Easy to allow himself to provide solace to the man in his arms, to the man who laid pretty much everything on the table in one night, just because Bobby asked him to. AJ ripped himself open for a man who left him high and dry, then forgot about him for the better part of six months. 

He’s much more courageous than the Chief thinks he will ever have the ability to be. 

Bobby realizes this is the first physical, non-sexual contact they’ve had in… maybe forever. He wants to memorize the feeling of AJ clinging to him, the smell of the man’s cologne, the solid weight under his palms. It feels like he’s cradling something sacred to his chest, a treasure that no one else has ever had the privilege of seeing, or holding, or consoling. Bobby feels honored as the man in his grasp mumbles into his skin and sinks further into him, like he reveres him as safe, a place where he can allow himself to be vulnerable. 

He decides he doesn’t want to spend another day of his life letting AJ down, he wants to use everyday going forward to show him that he _is_ safe, and secure, and mostly, that he’s wanted. 

God, does Bobby want him. 

“It’s okay. You’re okay. AJ… look at me,” Bobby soothes, pulling the man back with a soft grip in his hair, peering into the brunettes watery eyes that are refusing to let a tear drop, “I don’t need anything other than you wanting me here. Do you want me here?”

“Yes. More than anything,” he assures, voice laced with desperation and staring up at his boss like he’s the sun, hands clenching tighter in the back of Bobby’s shirt at his own words. 

“Then, I’m not going anywhere. We can figure out the details and bullshit later,” Bobby says calmly, hand starting to card through his hair, lulling AJ into slight relaxation, “You're not broken, please understand that... Pred is broken, _Steele_ is fucking broken, you’re just…”

“Stupid?” AJ laughs out, interrupting Bobby’s train of thought, “A pansy ass, little bitch, who just stopped myself from getting laid by the hot as hell Chief of Police to have a tantrum?”

“ _Noooo_ , because we’re still gonna fuck,” he teases the man, pulling at his short hair and pushing his forehead to AJ’s. “It’s okay to be scared, AJ. And it’s okay to be honest about it. It’s even okay to freak the fuck out.”

AJ pulls back slightly and drops his head at that, obviously not used to being reassured in such a kind and gentle manner. Bobby just lifts his face back up, fingers under his chin, forcing him to take in the words. 

“Just… be scared _with_ me, okay? Tell me and we’ll do whatever we have to, to figure it out. I wanna help, and I want to be here. Okay?” 

AJ has this expression on his face like he doesn’t know how to accept this, like he’s lost and someone’s giving him directions in a foreign language. Bobby empathizes with the man more than he realizes, a small smile forming on his lips when all the brunette can do is nod while still looking confused. It doesn’t surprise the Chief when he leans in to kiss at his lips instead of answering, something Bobby would absolutely do if the roles were reversed. 

It’s such a sweet kiss, hands soft on each other, not pulling and grasping to push the touch into something dirtier just yet. They’re content in this gentle moment, just feeling their way into new territory. AJ’s letting out these soft sounds Bobby’s never heard from him, weak and pleading. He wants to crawl into them and never leave. 

“Bobby, please, let me-,”

“Yeah, c’mon. Whatever you want, you got me,” he croons to the Sergeant when he pulls back from their embrace to faintly beg his superior for something; Bobby will give him anything he wants. AJ pushes himself back into the kiss while beginning to walk them backwards towards his bedroom, like he doesn’t want to lose physical contact with the blonde for a second. 

The new eagerness coming from him is soothing to Bobby, feels like maybe AJ is coming back to him from his short breakdown in his arms. Bobby’s nerves aren’t alive with the need to be fucked like they usually are when he has him here, in his hold. He just wants to feel AJ, and he’ll take it anyway the younger man wants to give it. 

AJ’s hands have migrated to cup his hips, shirt rucked up a bit so that he can caress the fair skin under his fingertips. He can’t stop breaking their kiss to attack Bobby’s lips at a different angle every couple of seconds, each new touch of lips spurring AJ on more intensely until the back of his knees hit the mattress. That shocks him back to reality and he pulls away to murmur, “Wanna fuck you, like so bad. Please?”

The broad smile on his boss’s face makes AJ’s dick twitch, the same dirty little grin Bobby gave him the last time they did this. Except this time, Bobby doesn’t drop to his knees and rip the man’s pants down. The older man guides him back to lay against the soft duvet crumbled messily underneath him, turning his head to the side and kissing his neck. The soft pecks trail down tan skin to nip at his collarbone, then sucking towards his pert nipples. Bobby bites them sharply enough for AJ to buck his hips up, his half hard cock coming fully to life. 

There’s only a thin layer of cloth stopping AJ from fully rutting against Bobby, who’s still completely fucking dressed. It’s starting to irritate the young man, especially when Bobby’s sweet attention lowers even further, kisses following his happy trail before diverting to suck and mark his hip bones. He thinks he should maybe take control back, flip Bobby over or demand he take off his fucking jeans, but he can’t will himself to do that. Too content in laying back and letting his body be mapped and cherished. 

Bobby touches him like he’s fragile, spends almost too much time tracing his tongue over AJ’s supple skin. But he can’t help himself, feels like if he doesn’t do it now, he’ll never get the chance again. He wants to commit every inch of warm skin to memory so he never forgets it, wants AJ to know how much he deserves to be doted on. 

But, he’s driving the younger man crazy, forcing mewls out of the boy that makes his own cock strain against tight denim. AJ’s wiggling under him, trying to stay still and pliant but failing. When Bobby finally hooks his fingers under the waistband of his sleep pants and pulls them down, he breathes a sigh of relief into the room and helps shuck them the rest of the way off. 

Bobby doesn’t think he’ll ever get over how thick and long AJ is, cock curving up slightly, precome beading at his tip. It’s a thing of wonder, and Bobby only vaguely recalls the stretch of it, ready to feel that again. But he’s resigned to finish the task at hand. He stares up at AJ, forcing eye contact as he bypasses where the boy wants him to kiss, going for his soft thigh. 

“Baby…,” AJ groans loudly, hips thrusting upwards even though that isn’t helpful at the moment. Bobby expects him to grab his head and force him to give relief, but he doesn’t. His hands ball up in the sheets around him and he moans while forcing himself to relax, gives Bobby the space to do what he wants. He continues his slow assault until an accidental shimmy of his hips against the bed shoots pleasure down his legs. He suddenly feels overdressed. 

AJ’s mouth is agape, hand snaking down to grip himself while he watches Bobby get up to rip his button up off and shove his jeans down. The blonde looks good in only his tight boxer briefs, small wet spot shining on the red material where he’s straining; he starts stroking himself slowly, eyes searching over his boss’s body frantically. He could come like this, Bobby standing over his bed, hard, looking at AJ like he could love him one day. 

Bobby teasingly slaps his hand away, moving to the side of his bed, rummaging through the nightstand where he remembers AJ keeps his lube and condoms. He throws them on the bed near AJ’s head and climbs on top of him, sitting on the man’s pelvis and going to give him another open mouthed kiss. Bobby’s tongue drags hot in his mouth, the fair skinned man grinding down onto AJ. His arms are braced over the brunettes shoulders, gaining the perfect leverage to press and rut their hard cocks together, even if the soft material of his underwear leaves a lot of to be felt. 

“Gonna ride you, baby,” he breathes into the kiss, gasping when big hands come up to guide his hips into the frottage, AJ’s cocky grin back on his full lips. 

“Yeah? _God_ , Bobby… Wanna see you take it,” he rumbles, hands slipping into his briefs and grabbing as much of Bobby’s perky ass in each hand as possible. His grip is rough, brusingly pulling each cheek even as he continues grinding his dick against Bobby’s. He lets out a shuddering gasp as a finger runs over his dry entrance, just teasing the pucker over and over. The want hits him suddenly, in the desperate manner it usually does because he’s kind of easy in that way. 

“Gonna take it so good for you.C’mon, don’t you wanna see it, baby?,” Bobby pleads, grinding back against the playful finger. AJ’s unable to do anything about the exasperated _god damn!_ that slips out of him when Bobby pushes his hips back rough enough that his fingertip breaches him briefly. 

AJ scrambles to reach the bottle of lube while also trying to yank Bobby’s briefs the rest of the way off, desperate to feel him from the inside. Bobby assists with getting himself completely naked and turns around after, falling onto hands and knees in front of AJ, ass pushed up and waiting. 

He’s spreading the warming gel over his fingers, staring at the offering in front of him. AJ doesn’t understand how anyone who’s seen Bobby like this could ever walk away. He’s a whirlwind of complexity, changing from caring and loving, to submissive and wanting in the span of minutes. It gives the brunette a head rush as he teases Bobby’s opening with a single finger, pushing in and out shallowly, not giving the man beneath him enough to satiate him. 

He pushes his hips backwards softly, starting a gentle rhythm as AJ’s finger breaches deeper with each movement. Bobby wants more, he wants it all right now, but settles himself down to AJ’s ministrations, letting the light thrusts happen until he’s pushing all the way in. Bobby shudders when he feels AJ massaging his insides, working his way to apply pressure to his prostate. The touch is light and gone before he can process it, AJ pulling out to press two fingers back in. 

“Look at you,” the younger man coos when Bobby groans and spreads his knees out further, trying to open himself as much as possible for AJ. He drops to his forearms to facilitate shoving himself back, setting his own pace and leaving the younger man to tortuously prod at the bundle of nerves that are quickly turning him into a puddle. “You want it so bad, don’t you?”

“Yes, yes, pleeeaaase. Want all of you, baby. Fuck! Right there, just keep-,” Bobby’s grunting out, not really paying attention to the things coming out of his mouth in favor of fucking himself back. He buries his head in the bedding below him as AJ interrupts him, 

“Oh? Right here, Bobby?,” he goads, mercilessly stimulating him over and over, fingers almost vibrating inside him at how fast AJ is moving them back and forth over the spot. “I bet I could make you come like this. Not even touching your dick, just fucking you with my fingers. What do you think, babe? Think you could do it?” 

And, yeah, Bobby could absolutely relent into the feeling and shoot his load all over the bed. He’s such a slut and AJ’s so fucking good at pulling his strings taut, but he really doesn’t want that right now. He wants to ride AJ until he’s whining underneath him, wants to feel the man lose himself in his tight ass, clench around the brunette and make him fall apart. 

“Please just fuck me, AJ, I can’t-,” he chokes out when AJ plunges a third finger in, shivering at the burn of the stretch. The younger man has the audacity to laugh out at him,

“Such good manners, even when begging to be fucked. Ask me again, sweetheart.”

Bobby wonders how red his face is, when he turns to look at him over his shoulder with his uncovered eye and moans out, “Please let me ride you? I wanna make you come, baby.”

There’s no force in the world that could stop AJ from fulfilling Bobby’s broken, whimpered out, little request. It’s a flurry of limbs and moving bodies that lead to AJ situated on his back, Bobby’s hand planted firmly in the middle of his chest as he lines the hard cock up and sinks down. He can feel the older man’s knees shaking slightly against his sides as he descends, guttural noises being torn from the blonde’s lips. 

Bobby is tight and fluttering around his shaft, taking it inch by inch, nails biting into his pecs, head lulling back and mouth agape like he can’t take it. AJ wishes his phone was close, wants to keep this picture of Bobby forever. When his plump cheeks meet AJ’s pelvis, bottoming out at last, he can’t stop the tiny grind of his hips back and forth, just to feel the drag of AJ’s monster dick against his insides. 

(AJ has to bite the nearest pillow and screw his eyes shut, taming every muscle in his body that just wants to pound up into the body above him.)

Before the affair, Bobby had never even seen a dick in real life that is as big as AJ’s. He’d been pretty drunk the first time he took it and right now he felt very closely acquainted with every inch. He feels so full, like he can’t breathe correctly. He thinks if he squirms in the right way and presses down in the right place, he could feel AJ through his tummy. He must look like quite the picture, rubbing his lower stomach and whining on the younger man’s cock. 

“Oh, Jesus fucking Christ!” AJ yelps out when Bobby gives a couple experimental ruts, hands coming up to caress his hip bones as he pleads, “Bobby, you ready baby? 

He doesn’t answer, just lifts himself over halfway off and drops himself down harshly, moan echoing around the room. AJ’s rough inhale is barely heard above the sounds of Bobby rising, just to fall back on his dick repeatedly, starting a strenuous pace right off the bat. Reaching out to get a hand around Bobby’s now red cock, AJ is startled when Bobby shoos his hand, looking at the man like he’s crazy. Smirking, he leans forward, forearms braced on AJ’s toned chest so that he can now bounce easily up and down on his cock, the sound of skin slapping illuminating the room. Bobby’s head drops, sweaty forehead against his sternum, when the younger man braces his feet against the bed and begins to snap his hips up on the down stroke. 

It leaves Bobby reeling, nails digging into skin as he tries to maintain his own rhythm against AJ’s. The blonde is groaning and whimpering, nonsensical words leaving him. It goes straight to AJ’s dick, eating up the ego boost of his Chief losing his fucking mind on top of him. 

“ _Fuuuu- ck!_ Baby, you’re so pretty,” AJ praises, arms bracing Bobby’s torso flush against his, so that all the blonde can do is ride his thick cock and take the rough strokes he’s handing out. Bobby melts against him, begging AJ not to stop, hips gradually losing the ability to keep up with the pounding he was receiving. It’s all so much, his prostate being viciously abused while AJ whines out dirty compliments, “You’re fucking gorgeous, babe. Taking all this dick, _god,_ like such a good boy. You love it, huh? You love it, Bobby?”

He nods vigorously, can only focus on the tingling sensation spreading through his body as AJ’s balls slap against his ass, strokes only getting faster and harder. He’s so wrapped up in needing more, wanting AJ to never stop that he doesn’t notice his own chanting of the man’s name. It sounds like a hymnal rolling off of the older man’s lips, and AJ decides instantaneously that tonight can’t end like this. This might be the hottest thing he’s seen in his entire life, but he needs more right now, so close to coming. 

Bobby sees his world spin, literally, as he’s flipped onto his back, thrusts barely pausing because AJ’s able to change their positions without dislodging, a ridiculous show of his body strength. The action draws out a long _fuuuuuck_ from Bobby, who has become content in letting AJ maneuver him however he pleases. This leads to Bobby’s legs being pushed to his chest, knees almost touching his chin (and really, thank god for Lauren dragging him to yoga on the beach during the last few months, ‘cause damn, his flexibility was impressive right now).

“Yeah, that’s right baby, I know you wanted to make me come, riding me, but this view? How could I pass up on this,” AJ tells him with a smile, using this new position to brace his hands on thick thighs and fuck in and out with ease, taking what he needs while his cock reaches all the right places in Bobby. AJ rubs his fingers around the pink, stretched rim, feeling himself slide in and out. The Chief is completely on display and at his mercy, making all sorts of desperate sounds. AJ wants so bad to come, but he can’t imagine doing that before he sees Bobby shoot all over himself. He really needs to see his boss covered in come again, moaning his name like a prayer. 

Bobby’s long neglected cock is slapping against his taut stomach with each jostle of his body, the tip an angry red, lower tummy shiny with precome. AJ knows what wrapping a hand around him will do, can feel how close the man is with every push against his sweet spot. He thumbs the slit diligently before starting to pump in time with his thrusts. 

“Jesus, fucking… I’m gonna-, AJ!,” Bobby shouts, pretty much immobilized to participating in the Sergeant pushing him over the edge, “I’m gonna come, baby, please… don’t stop, don’t stop, don’t stop,” he’s begging, hands going to rip at his own hair, wishing he had the space to pull AJ into a bruising kiss. He’s surrendering to the heat wrapping around his spine, wanting the crash of pleasure to wash over him when he hears AJ’s signature, squeaky _fuuh-uck_ ring through the air. And if he’s being honest, that’s what does it. 

His muscles spasm and back arches rigidly, coming hot in AJ’s fist, shooting onto his chest and hitting his neck. Bobby’s repeatedly whimpering out the younger man’s name, flexing and milking the fat cock that’s trying to continue hammering his insides. The overstimulation hits fast after his initial orgasm, AJ not slowing down at all, pounding directly into his prostate as he chases his own orgasm. Tawny hands on his upper thighs keep Bobby where he is, driving him to madness when the rapture doesn’t end. 

The sad, little sounds churning out of Bobby only spurs him on further, watching his pretty face screw up in faux-pain as AJ fucks in harder. He can’t help noticing how much of a whore Bobby sounds like right now, a looping stream of _uh, uh, uh, uh_ ‘s leaving the man every time his hips snap against his backside. There’s no point in holding back anymore, this graphic image in his mind of Bobby whoring himself out (red lace garter along his thighs, lipstick smeared against his full lips, and come dripping down his face) does it for AJ. 

“God damn, Bobby!,” he screams, hips stuttering roughly before slamming in deep one last time, shooting into the condom instead of coating his insides (which really bums him out, he wants to watch his come leak out of Bobby very much, but that’s for a later date). He can’t help rocking through the aftershocks, keeping a slow, but steady pace. Bobby’s wriggling his hips again, broken gasps flowing, and then, it’s too much for AJ. He pulls out slowly, mesmerized by the still stretching rim clinging to his shaft. 

Easing his sore legs down, AJ leans forward and kisses over Bobby’s heart, cum sticking to his lips. The salty taste coats his tongue, wringing a moan from the brunette; the dirty aftermath is always one of his favorite parts of fucking. Bobby just starfishes out, trying to regain a steady breath while running a hand through AJ’s dark hair, watching as the boy starts to lick his drying come off his chest. 

“Holy shit, one confession of mutual feelings and you really let your freak show, huh?,” Bobby teases as AJ lifts his head, come dripping off his bottom lip. His answering smile is small, maybe a little embarrassed, but very fucking cute. Bobby reaches a thumb out to swipe the come from his lip and push it into his mouth, the younger man sucking it off and tonguing at the digit; Bobby’s cock throbs, like he’s ready to get hard again at that sight. 

“Just for you, baby,” AJ sing songs, rolling off his chest to sprawl out along Bobby’s side. 

“Yeah, whatever. I bet you say that to all the girls,” Bobby murmurs, rolling his eyes and laying his head to the side to look at the man’s handsome features. AJ’s face is open and sated, worry lines relaxed and brow unfurrowed. Bobby didn’t get the chance to lay with AJ and stare into his eyes the last time they did this. It was all very quick and efficient, he liked this moment better. He likes AJ’s hand coming up to curl around his cheek, thumb rubbing back and forth. The air in the room feels charged with sweet emotion, Bobby doesn’t want to ever leave it. 

But, AJ eventually climbs from the bed, extending a hand to him, “Alright, shower? Cause you’re gross.” 

Bobby laughs out at that and replies accusingly, “Well, you’re the one that stopped cleaning me off,” gesturing to his messy chest. He still takes AJ’s hand and allows himself to be pulled up, into his arms. AJ tangles his fingers in blonde hair, pulling Bobby into a languid kiss, sighing into his mouth, sounding happy and content. 

He really wasn’t expecting this outcome when he knocked on AJ’s door tonight, didn’t expect to be venturing into something new, and hopeful. He doesn’t know how he lucked out, seeming to fuck up everything around him at every available opportunity. This _feels_ different, he thinks this time _will_ be different. 

Everything’s as close to perfect as possible, and it seems as though nothing can touch them.

…You’d think Bobby would’ve learned by now, that’s not how these things work out for him in the end.

~~xxxx~~


	3. no one's ever called me smooth

~~xxxx~~

There’s a surreal feeling to the air in the diner that Bobby and AJ are having breakfast at. Bobby’s sure that’s mostly because of how doe eyed the younger man has him. 

He thinks there’s a definite possibility that AJ is secretly a Disney princess, because he swore the birds outside started to sing a tune when the man threw his head back in trilling, sweet laughter at some stupid thing Bobby had said as they walked in. And the sun streaming in through the window behind the young man illuminates his dark chocolate locks, giving him a glowing halo. Bobby can’t help but stare dumbly at the man as he talks about how shit this restaurant's French toast is, utterly smitten. 

“-like, it shouldn’t be soggy. Soggy French toast? What the fuck?,” he complains, staring down at the menu in search of something to order that’s halfway edible. 

It takes serious restraint for Bobby not to get up, slide into the booth next AJ, sling an arm over his shoulder and whisper sweet nothings in his ear about how pretty he looks right now. He wants to play with his hair and kiss his full lips, promise his Sergeant the world. He _does_ actually restrain himself in the end though, his days of playing a sappy, love stricken high schooler long behind him. 

He knows the little bubble he and AJ have been in since last night is going to burst eventually. He has to go on duty here soon and leave his boy behind. The idea makes his insides feel icky, but he knows it has to happen. Bobby can’t live in this fairy tale forever, even though he’d like to. But, he keeps himself in the moment, content at just being with AJ, listening to him whine,

“-so, I guess I’ll try their waffles and pray I don’t die from food poisoning. See, I never had this problem back home.”

“What?,” Bobby laughs out, “Does England hold the standard when it comes to French toast?”

“Apparently,” AJ replies, stringing out the syllables, looking disgustedly around the dining room. 

“We could’ve gone somewhere else. I just mentioned it because it’s close to your apartment,” Bobby says, reaching across the table to hold the top of the hand AJ has lying on the table. The brunette looks up from his menu, setting it down, and smiles brightly at his boss,

“No, no! Don’t mind my bitching, please. It’s fine, I’m just being… snobby,” he reassures, squeezing Bobby’s hand and bringing his other arm up to lean his head on his palm so his face is tilted, much like his little grin. Bobby wants to kiss that smile into his memory, right here and now. 

Luckily, their waitress (‘Linda’ her name plate reads) stops by at that exact moment, breaking them both from their reverie. Bobby’s extremely thankful for that. He may be committed to whatever the future holds for him and AJ, but he doesn’t think going ‘sloppy PDA at breakfast’ with their relationship right off the bat is wise. At least, not right now. 

Now that it’s honesty _life_ , instead of just honesty hour for Bobby, he thinks it’s important to have this conversation sooner rather than later,

“So I’m thinking, for the time being, we should probably keep all of this,” he says, rubbing his thumb over the back of AJ’s hand in place of gesturing between the two of them, “quiet. Like, not telling anybody we’re…-,”

“Exclusive?,” AJ cuts in when Bobby trails off, smile turning small, providing the label the blonde didn’t want to impose on them. 

“Yeah. I’m not saying that we should hide it forever or anything, but-,” Bobby's quick to continue, trying to reassure the man he’s not trying to hide _him_ or that he’s ashamed of their new relationship or something. AJ smirks at the fumbling man and turns his hand so that he’s actively holding Bobby’s as well when he interrupts him,

“Bobby, it’s okay. I get it. It’s dumb to be like, _public_ with this when your divorce isn’t even finalized. I don’t want you to have to go through any additional bullshit because of us. I don’t want to make things more complicated than I already have,” AJ tells him, looking at Bobby concerned. Which he is, he really isn’t looking forward to Bobby being raked over the coals by Raven, the thought of it hurting his heart. 

Bobby’s again left pondering how he’s gotten lucky enough to call AJ his, the support from the tan skinned man easing Bobby in a way he hadn’t expected. It’s in that moment, when he _really_ wants to pull him into a kiss, that a burning thought enters his head,

“But, I do have to tell Zelda. I can’t keep something like this from her. I can’t lie to her,” Bobby reveals, hoping AJ gets where he’s coming from. 

Which he does, at least on a basic level. It’s not like AJ is a father, he doesn’t exactly understand the dynamics personally, but he gets the idea. 

And, wow, how had he forgotten that Bobby has a daughter? A daughter he was shockingly close to. AJ remembers when Bobby took like four days off work about a week after his wedding and the other officers all thought he’d gone on his honeymoon. Turns out he had been playing World of Warcraft with Zelda for three days straight, because it’s her favorite game. 

_He’s a good dad_ , AJ thinks to himself, _actually, he’s quite good at everything he does._

AJ wishes the dumb Chief of Police would stop making him smile like a school girl so often. It’s gonna make his street cred go way down. 

“You do what you gotta do when it comes to your daughter, babe. I understand,” the man beams, still holding Bobby’s hand in his.

AJ has a brief, fleeting thought that Zelda might actually try to kill him when she finds out. That would be very in character from what he knows of the girl who stalks around with the HOA. But, that’s a problem for future AJ. He’d happily hurdle any obstacle thrown at him if it meant he got to keep Bobby as his. 

The waitress, with her ever present perfect timing, appears with their food, giving Bobby reprieve from having to say anything back to AJ. He doesn’t know if he could, literally choked up at the seemingly never ending support coming from the man across from him. 

Bobby clears his throat after Linda makes her departure and slides the waffles towards AJ, grinning again at the man, “Dig in, I’m dying for a verdict.”

AJ stares at the beige mess on his plate, pushing at it with his fork, and responds, “Yeah, well, don’t get your hopes up.”

~~xxxx~~

AJ insists on driving him up to his trailer in Sandy Shores after they finish up breakfast, and Bobby doesn’t bother to argue, willing to take any time with AJ he can get. 

It’s a nice drive, partly because it’s long and Bobby enjoys the easy conversation with his subordinate, but mostly because AJ keeps his right hand gripping Bobby’s thigh the whole time. AJ’s thumb traces the seam of the track pants he’d borrowed this morning, rubbing back and forth as he rambles about his mom and sister back in the UK. Bobby likes the casual cadence of AJ’s voice. He could listen to him talk about soil or theoretical physics, and be entranced. Bobby’s sporting some straight up hearts eyes, trying to shake them away every time AJ catches him staring. 

AJ’s telling the story of his and his sisters long held debate over which crisps brand is better, when Bobby’s mind starts to wander a bit. This all feels very domestic, and it throws Bobby off, even as he’s enjoying the drive. Raven and him were a lot of things, but domestic wasn’t one of them. 

When he and Raven were together and interacting, there were two comfortable spaces they flitted between: charged sexual energy and moderate professionalism. There was never a clear or withstanding middle ground for them. Looking back, it was so much more exhausting than Bobby ever realized. They never had calm, normal conversations like this. How did Bobby not see how dysfunctional they truly were, had always been?

He’s jarred from his thoughts when AJ comes to a stop, putting the car in park. Bobby looks over to the man, a little guilty for zoning out on him. But, AJ’s just gazing at him adoringly, not annoyed like Bobby had been anticipating. He’s searching the planes of Bobby’s face with an open and happy expression on his own. 

Bobby finally gives into the desire to kiss the man stupid, pulling him to meet halfway over the gear shift and licking into his mouth. He’s delighted with the ability to cave and devour him after being tempted all morning. AJ lets out these tiny hums of approval, pushing up and closer like he’s ready to crawl into his lap, which Bobby would love if he wasn’t already late to work. 

He pulls away and gets out of the car without a word, leaving AJ stunned and still, unsure why soft lips had been taken away so abruptly. He watches Bobby disappear while walking around the back of his car, still phased by the withdrawal. He turns to sit back correctly in his seat and is startled to see the blonde leaning into the drivers side window, forearms braced on the door, smirk resting on his lips. 

“How about one more for the road?,” he asks, but not really, grabbing AJ behind the neck and resuming their kiss before he can respond. He can’t help melting into the embrace, shoulders sagging and letting Bobby kiss him breathless. It’s a bit overwhelming, the door leaving no room for AJ to lift up and make it dirtier than it is. He just resigns in letting the Chief take what he wants. 

Bobby really doesn’t want to go and start his day, wants to stay here with someone that truly cares about him. He feels more torn than he should for not being a prepubescent teen. He’s fighting off the urge to yank his boyfriend from the car and haul him inside. 

_Huh_ , Bobby thinks to himself while AJ sucks at his tongue, “ _boyfriend”. That word’s new. Is AJ my boyfriend?_

He feels that familiar sense of stupidity wash over him and pulls back, fingers laced through brunette locks and asks, 

“You know you’re kinda my boyfriend, right?”

AJ looks stupefied, mouth coming to hang open. He can’t help the little huff of disbelief that leaves him. That doesn’t do anything to soothe Bobby’s nerves though, hand starting to pull back and face flushing with embarrassment. AJ can’t help the soft, lilting tone his voice takes, like a kindergarten teacher, when he exasperatedly replies, 

“You’re so slow Bobby, Je- _sus_ Christ. Yes, I’m aware. Now, go get ready for work, _Chief_ ,” he goads, grabbing Bobby’s hand and giving a quick peck to the palm. What a god damn cute gesture, Bobby’s gobsmacked and blushing even harder. He gives the Sergeant one last kiss before pulling away, popping the roof of the car and walking off towards his home. 

Of course, AJ whistles lowly after him, ogling his pert ass, before driving away. 

~~xxxx~~

Bobby decides he needs a quick shower before heading off, just to settle down a little. He needs to get his head off of AJ and focused on his job, which is, oh yeah, being the ringleader for this entire doomed city of freak shows. The shower is less of a relaxing activity and more one of necessity. 

He’s leaving his bathroom, dripping slightly, to cross the hall into the master bedroom when he glances briefly towards the kitchen. He notices Zelda’s jacket and keys tossed on the counter, haphazardly as usual. Bobby rolls his eyes fondly as he continues on his morning routine and hurriedly gets dressed. He hopes to catch his daughter for a couple minutes before he has to run off. 

He chooses to go casual for the day, grey button up with his badge around his neck. He knows he can suit up at MRPD if he needs to patrol, but doesn’t think that will happen with the amount of meetings he’s anticipating for the day. Fucking _meetings_ , the worst part of his already shitty job. 

Searching for his own keys and Zelda at the same time, he does a sweep through his kitchen (finding the car keys, not the daughter) and ends up in the threshold to the living room. Zelda’s sitting on the couch with a friend to her right, they’re smashing buttons on a controller and cussing about the video game on the TV in front of them. He vaguely recalls the man with her as Fred, one of Zelda’s little hoodlum, HOA friends. He's always been nice enough though and doesn’t brandish fire arms openly in front of Bobby, so he doesn’t hate the kid. Not like Faulker. 

“Stop watching us like a weirdo, Dad,” Zelda groans, sounding put out that she has to say anything at all. It warms Bobby’s heart. 

“Hey Bobby!,” Fred greets cheerily, turning from the screen (even though Zelda stays firm in playing Mario Kart and trying to pretend her dad isn’t there bothering them) to give a wave. Bobby grimaces. 

“It’s Chief Smith actually, Bodini,” Bobby reminds him, leaning against the doorway and pulling a stern face. 

“You don't have to call him that here,” Zelda interjects, finishing the race before Fred and finally turning to join the conversation, if only to glare daggers at her dad. 

“Yes, you do,” he immediately responds, pointing a rigid finger at Bodini, who just nods at the Chief before glancing at Zelda and giving a shrug. It’s nice to see someone be more afraid of him than his daughter, if only for a moment. 

Zelda’s little noise of displeasure fills the room before she grills Bobby, “Why are you spying on us? What do you want?”

“Nothing!,” Bobby defends, hands raised in mock surrender, gingerly looking around the room before continuing, “Just taking in this pigsty of a room. How long have those pizza rolls been there?”

“Daaaad, c’mon. Leave us alone. I’ll clean up later, okay?,” Zelda begs, speech muttered like she was losing her patience. 

“Fine, fine. Okay, I’m going! Please be safe, have a fun day, all that,” he surrendered, content in the fact that Zelda feels comfortable bringing her friends to their home. It had taken a little work to make Zelda understand that she is loved and she is family to Bobby, but she seems to be falling into the role on her own more and more these days. Making it swiftly to the front door, he hollered over his shoulder, “Love you, kid.”

“Love you too, Dad.”

Bobby thinks that might be his favorite thing in the entire world to hear. 

It gives him the willpower to push through and get this day fucking started. Bobby’s halfway to his Camaro when Zelda comes rushing out of the house after him, catching up quicker than Bobby can really take in (seriously, she’s a fucking speed demon), and quietly asking him, 

“You wanna have lunch today?”

“Yes, I would love that. Text me around noon where you want to go, okay?”

“Sounds good… be safe,” Zelda mumbles, giving him such a fast hug that Bobby briefly thinks he imagined it. Then she’s back in the house and gone; his daughter in a nutshell. 

He loves that kid, and she reminds him daily that he’s accomplished at least one good thing in his life. He’s done letting her down too. 

~~xxxx~~

Lunch can’t come soon enough for the Chief. He was right in his prediction of a morning full of meetings: first it was Malton and his fucking motorcade drama, then it was another citizen complaint against Toretti, before the DA came in bitching about a case that Bobby had no context for. 

He was well in need of a break as he pulled up to the coffee shop Zelda frequented. Ready to chill out, see what his daughter's up to today and order the largest coffee they have. A tiny chime rings through the shop as he enters, searching for the girl. He finds her tucked into a round table next to the window, facing him. The outline of a broad, brunette man is in front of her, back turned to Bobby. 

He freezes. 

She fucking ambushed him with Raven. Great. Wonderful. This is absolutely the last thing Bobby wanted to deal with right now. But, Zelda meets his gaze, staring him down, almost daring him to turn around and run. He doesn’t though. Panic is coursing through him as he steels himself and starts walking towards the pair from where he had been frozen in place. 

Clearing his throat to announce his arrival, Bobby chooses to sit next to Zelda, leaning over and giving a quick kiss to her head. Raven, tensely grits out a greeting,

“Bobby.”

“Heeeey, uh, well isn’t this a surprise,” he gets out, mostly avoiding Raven’s intense gaze to glare at Zelda, who ignores the look. Raven takes up Bobby’s position of peering at their daughter in thinly veiled annoyance. They wait for her to speak, to explain herself for this little set up. 

“Well… I’ve got a shift I need to cover at Sub Urban, so I’m just gonna leave you two-,” she starts, moving to scoot out of the chair and leave, but is bombarded with her dads scrambling to convince her to stay. 

“What?! Now wait a minute! Why don’t we just get some food and-,” Raven’s immediately bartering, Bobby talking over him to chastise,

“Oh no, don’t you think you’re getting away with this, young lady, this is-,”

She interrupts them both, holding her hands out to stop their pleas, “No. I’m sorry I lied to you guys, but you need to talk. And we all know that wasn’t going to happen on your own, so…”

And yeah, she’s right, but that doesn’t make Bobby feel better about being plunged into this without his consent. The timing is just awful, after all that’s happened for Bobby in the last day. He really doesn’t want to be alone with Raven or talk about their tire fire of a marriage. 

“Get to it. Also, remember, you can’t punch each other in public. Okay! Bye, love you guys!,” Zelda gets out in a hurry, slapping them both on the shoulder and making a quick exit. The tiny ring of the bell above the entrance seals their fate as their daughter abandons them. 

There’s silence; thick, uncomfortable silence. Raven’s staring hard at Bobby, sadness apparent and anger muted. He seems defeated and Bobby’s avoiding eye contact to look at the decor in the coffee shop like he gives a fuck. Raven clears his throat to break the tension,

“Alright, well, she’s right. We should talk.”

“Yeah…,” Bobby relents, hands coming to entwine in front of him, “Sure. About what?”

Raven scoffs, shaking his head in disappointment, “C’mon, Bobby.”

“What? Has anything changed? I really don’t know what you want me to say,” he admits, unsure of what could come from rehashing the things they’ve never agreed on in the first place. 

“Well, I guess I’ll do the talking then,” the newly turned Sergeant grumbles. He looks like he wants to say a thousand things but can’t figure out which to bring himself to let out. That’s to be expected though, Raven’s not used to candidly talking about his feelings. He waits patiently as possible for him to finally choke out a thought, “I still love you. I really do.”

Bobby’s not expecting that and it hits him in the chest like a sledgehammer, knocking the wind from his sails. He wants to physically recoil from the words, but doesn’t, remains blank faced and silent as it seems that Raven’s thought isn’t finished. 

“I’m not gunning for a divorce because I don’t _love_ _you_. I just... I don’t know if I can trust you,” he murmurs, like he’s fighting to spit the words out in the first place. Bobby thinks that’s exactly why _he_ wants the divorce though, love having vacated his side of the relationship a long time ago. It’s why he slept with AJ the first time. He needed an ending to their marriage that he knew Raven would never give him unless he was forced to.

That doesn’t make any of this easy though, watching Raven struggle to pull himself through the trenches of emotional turmoil. If you didn’t know any better, it would look like he's in physical pain. And well, he might be in pain with how difficult these words must be for him, 

“Actually,” he starts again, sighing out in defeat, “I _know_ I can’t trust you. That’s like… long gone for me. But, I still love you.”

Bobby thinks that’s wise of Raven, not to trust him. Especially given the night before. Bobby never trusted his husband before the divorce started, so it makes sense to him that those tables would finally turn. Raven still seems firm in his decision of divorce, and that puts Bobby at ease; at least they’re on the same page.

“Bobby, I just need you to understand, I’m in a really fucked up place. I don’t know what the best solution to this is. I don’t want this dragged out any longer that it has been. I just,” he trails off a bit, like the next thing he’s going to say is the most important, “I don’t want Zelda to get wrapped up and hurt by our failures.”

Raven mumbled that last part, staring down at the linoleum table top, looking guilty. He loves their daughter very much, that is undeniable. The ways he goes about securing that love sometimes is questionable, but Bobby knows the man cherishes their daughter. He would never take Zelda away from Raven, like he could ever force her to do something she didn’t want to do anyway. That’s not in the game plan for Bobby, it never has been. 

Would he like her to live with him primarily? Of course. But, he’s not in the business of forcing his daughter into something she doesn’t want. He wants her to be happy and thriving at the end of the day, and he knows Raven makes her happy. 

He reaches over and covers Raven’s hand with his own, starts talking before his nerves can stop him, “Me either. I think we need to remember that she’s the most important part of this whole fucked up situation… I don’t want to hurt you anymore than I have. I don’t want to use her as a pawn between us, I won’t.”

Raven stares intensely as Bobby speaks, eyes searching the blondes face for deception and not finding any. He deflates in relief, because, yeah, he wants the house and cars, but he was mostly going after Zelda because he was terrified Bobby would alienate her from him, leaving him truly broken and alone. 

(That just goes to show that Raven doesn’t know Bobby at all, the sitting Chief doesn’t have that kind of vitriol in him.)

There's a quiet moment between them before Raven takes his hand and flips it over so it’s resting in his own. He starts tracing the lines of his palm to avoid looking at Bobby when he says, “I didn’t think it would end this way. I didn’t think it would end at all when we got married, I really thought this was forever.”

“Me too, Vladimir,” Bobby replies in the smallest voice, it’s all he can muster up to Raven’s candid, heartbreaking statement. 

“I’m sorry I couldn’t… give you what you need. I really tried, honest to god Bobby, I did. I tried so fucking hard,” he confesses, not looking up from the patterns he’s tracing into Bobby’s skin. The words pang around the younger man’s heart, knowing that two people as messed up as them would never work out. But, they did try, that’s for sure. 

“I know you did, I know. I did too. We both tried and it’s okay that it wasn’t enough. Because we _did_ try,” Bobby attempts to soothe, leaning in and finally meeting Raven’s sad eyes with his own. His husband nods, still clutching his hand and now searching Bobby’s face for something desperately.

Hope? Love? The want to stay? 

Raven doesn’t find what he’s looking for. 

Bobby pulls his hand back eventually, the moment bordering on too intimate, and says Raven can have whatever he wants in the divorce. He won’t fight him. And Zelda should be free to see each of them whenever she wants and decide where she wants to live on her own. Raven agrees to that part and admits he doesn’t want to fight in court, that he doesn’t want to shred Bobby to pieces like he had at the beginning. They may talk to a mediator to settle this, just go through lawyers and keep the court drama to a minimum. 

Bobby needs to get back to work though, just to get away from the achy feeling in his heart. Raven senses that and starts to gather himself up to leave. They stand to make their goodbyes and Bobby pushes his way into a hug, he doesn’t even hesitate. Raven pulls the blonde into his arms like he’s not about to lose him. He did love Raven at one point. With everything he had. This felt like a weird goodbye, like closure, arms wrapped around his neck, holding Raven like he hasn’t in a very long time. 

Bobby pulls back first and gives Raven one last look, really taking in his features, before moving to finally leave. His chest hurts a little, but it’s kinda to be expected in Bobby’s eyes. 

Raven and him? It was always going to hurt. 

He makes his way out of the shop and back into his cruiser, relatively in one piece. He takes a moment to just breathe and process. A lot happened in the span of maybe a half hour and he doesn’t want to rush back to MRPD and pretend it’s okay. Bobby takes his phone out to see if Zelda had texted, maybe to check in on the situation she left behind, but finds a text from AJ instead. 

His stomach drops. 

It’s a picture taken maybe twenty feet back from the coffee shop window. It shows him sitting with Raven from about ten minutes before. Raven's holding his hand and staring at him longingly, Bobby’s leaned in and meeting his intense gaze. The image looks intimate, and romantic. It wasn’t though. 

Long seconds of stunned silence pass over Bobby before he abruptly reels his hand back and slams it into the steering wheel, anger suddenly taking over. He’s peeling out of the parking lot and dialing AJ’s number before he can think to do anything else. He needs to drive, do something with the violent energy now coursing through him. 

AJ picks up the call, already screaming before he can get in a word, 

“It's crazy! I was out, about to grab a coffee to start my day and look at what I find, Bobby! You couldn't even wait a fuckin’ day, huh!? Are you fuckin’ serious!? After everything last night and then this morning-,”

Bobby is quick to try and interrupt the man, desperate for him to listen, “No no no no no, _hey_ , that is not what that was! Please, AJ, take a breath and let me explain. Please! Zelda asked me to go out to lunch, but she invited-,”

“Oh my god, I can’t! I don’t wanna hear any of this. Any of your _bullshit_ excuses! Just take ‘em and shove ‘em up your fucking ass!,” AJ’s hollering, not letting Bobby finish his thought. The outrage in his voice is palpable through the tinny phone line, and Bobby just wants to be given the opportunity to settle it. 

“Stop, AJ! Just, listen to me for one goddamn second! Please just…. Where are you? I need to see you and explain. I need you to understand-,” he’s pleading now, wanting the man to just listen to reason. This is out of hand and could be cleared up easily. 

AJ’s huffing out livid little breaths when he replies, “I _really_ don’t want to see _you_ right now. How could you-,”

“Please… _baby_ ,” he begs, hoping AJ gives him a chance, “Five minutes. Just give me five minutes to explain. I wouldn’t do that to you, you have to believe me.”

“Well, you did it to Raven, so…”

And that scathing remark almost knocks the Chief out cold. It’s an honest statement, but it feels like a kick in the balls. All his bad decisions are coming to bite him in the ass. And Bobby deserves it. He whispers out, meekly, “AJ, please?”

“No, I can’t-,” AJ’s cutting himself off, clearly out of control, “Just! Leave me alone. I want to be alone and not… with you right now. I’ll talk to you later, _Bob_.”

Bobby’s sat there, phone still pressed against his face, hung up on. He’s filled with paralyzing anxiety, staring at his steering wheel and not the road, gutted. He really doesn’t like the way AJ called him Bob, like he’s being scolded. There’s no way he’s clocking back in now. Thank god one of the perks of being Chief is he can fuck off when he wants and nobody will call him on his shit. 

Dread settles into his stomach when Bobby pulls into Vinewood PD, impounds his cruiser and just starts walking. What are the fucking odds that AJ shows up at _that_ coffee shop at that exact moment? Bobby thinks it has to be karma, things were going too well for a whole day, so the universe needed to shit on him to remind him of his place.

He can’t do anything right. He’s not allowed nice things. 

Bobby always hurts the people he loves. 

~~xxxx~~

  
  



	4. tell me, do you think about me?

~~xxxx~~

Clocking into work might not be the best idea AJ’s ever had, but he doesn’t really see any good alternatives. He needs something to focus his mind on that isn’t Bobby going back to Raven; car chases, shooting and criminals seem like the easiest route to empty his head. That’s how he finds himself sitting alone in the MRPD locker room, wringing his hands and staring at the fading paint on the lockers in front of him. 

He’s jolted slightly when the door swings open, the familiar sound of boots on linoleum making him turn to see who has interrupted his solace. It’s Sergeant Olivia Copper, the scariest officer in his department, maybe in Los Santos. He hopes she just ignores him, but his luck isn’t all that great today.

“Hunter,” she greets, giving him a worried look, glancing at her watch and looking back at him surprised, “what’re you doing here 40 minutes early for your shift? You’re chronically ten minutes late to work at all times.”

He can’t restrain the weak tone he voice takes as he answers, “Just… wanted to be… ready and prepared.”

It’s easy for the former detective to take the answer for what it is, turn her back to him and start rummaging through her locker, letting out a long _mhmmm_ _._ It feels grating to AJ’s ears though, like a placation. It spurs him on a bit, figuring he doesn’t have a whole lot to lose.

“Hey, I have a question for you…,” AJ ventures, eyes not meeting hers when she whips around, his hands still nervously fidgeting. Copper is willing to let her guard down just a bit at the pathetic sounding query, staring at the usually infallible man who is currently looking like the definition of ‘crestfallen’. She mumbles out _shoot_ _,_ resuming her search for her favorite windbreaker.

“Bobby… has he always-...,” AJ starts and then cuts himself, unsure of how to word what he’s thinking and not piss off the Chief’s best friend in the process, “Cheating on Raven: was that the first time he's ever done something like that?”

“Why? You suddenly growing a conscious or something?,” Copper can’t help huffing out, finding her jacket and finally giving AJ her full attention. He looks stricken with grief, and Olivia actually feels a pang of empathy for the man, even though he’s the cause of a lot of issues in her two best friends' lives.

“Just… wondering,” AJ gets out, a squeak like answer that does nothing to hide the truth from Olivia _fucking_ Copper. He’s been acting weird since she walked in and this line of questioning only confirms her overall suspicions on what’s really going on with the brunette: AJ likes Bobby, and wants to know if he’s special to the man or just a fuck. She is legitimately torn on how to relay an answer to him. 

At the end of the day, she may be mad at Bobby for being a bad friend, but she won’t disparage his character with her answer. She lets out the world's most dramatic sigh, like it pains her to reveal this information, “Bobby’s not a cheater, okay? Bobby’s a pussy who didn’t know how to properly end his marriage.”

“So, he used me to make Raven pull the trigger?,” AJ asks, hurt clouding his eyes as he stares openly at his former superior, hoping deep in his gut that’s not true. Copper’s immediate shaking of head soothes him a bit and allows him to focus on her next words,

“...Bobby doesn’t use people like that. He’s a good person, AJ, he’s just dumb as shit.”

And that’s all she can really give the man, moving to leave but not before patting his shoulder and letting him know he’s free to clock in whenever. It’s a promising answer, but doesn’t ease the storm inside him. He has so many thoughts racing and he doesn’t know how to tamp down on them. 

The biggest right now being, he doesn’t stand a chance. AJ is small beans when it comes to Raven and Bobby. AJ may want Bobby, but Raven has had him. Their relationship had garnered the support of the PD, the citizens of Los Santos, not to mention the whole of their family and friends. They were the ‘It’ power couple of law enforcement officers in Los Santos. AJ feels intimidated coming up to bat after that. He worries he’ll always only be known as the guy that fucked over their marriage and stole Bobby from Raven. 

He worries about the repercussions that would have on Bobby, not so much himself. He couldn’t care less about being labeled a ‘homewrecker’, because Raven didn’t deserve Bobby in the first place. There will always be a part of AJ that hates the man for simply being there, for taking Bobby as his own before AJ even had a chance to try. 

Raven is a loud mouthed prick, and the worst part of his entirely flawed personality is he never, not for one second, grasped how lucky he was to call Bobby his. He paraded the blonde around like a trophy, but never actually valued him. It always rubbed AJ the wrong way. 

The Audi and the mansion near the lake, then the embezzled money from the DoJ; Raven did everything possible to not have to actually show he cared about his husband. He’d thrown money and items at him, but AJ doesn’t recall, in the entire time the two had been together, ever seeing Raven go out of his way for Bobby. It had made AJ hate him a little bit. 

Also, Bobby is the equivalent of a Greek god. He takes the breath out of most people he’s around and yet, somehow ended up with the homely Australian with a receding hairline and lame tattoos to compensate for his age. Looks aside, Bobby is just overall better than Raven; a better cop, a better detective, a way better Chief. He’s a better person than most people in the PD, he was definitely better than AJ. But, at least the Sergeant recognized that fact. 

He remembers walking in on some of the quiet fights Raven would be having with Bobby, complaining about his Chief duties before he resigned. They way he would bitch about the paperwork, while his husband was on the front lines getting shot at and watching his friends die. Raven could never support Bobby the way AJ could. 

AJ would do anything to see the man happy, 

Raven would do anything to not have to deal with it.

He thinks it was bordering on emotional abuse when Raven left the state for a fucking month after Bobby asked for a break to think about things, leaving the man to rot around in his own mind. Yeah, AJ has wanted to fuck Bobby for forever, but he’ll never forgot the lost look on the blondes face when he was telling AJ what was happening in his cruiser that night. Raven doesn’t deserve one second of the happiness that Bobby gives so freely to the ones he cares about. 

AJ was really hoping a couple minutes to think things over would help, but now he’s just angry at Raven. 

Was Raven manipulating Bobby to get him back? Is Bobby dumb enough to fall for that? (Yes, because he’s sort of naive, but also no, because he believes that Bobby does have sincere feelings for him, he feels it in his gut every time ocean blue eyes look to him.) 

This isn’t helping, and AJ thinks it’s about time to dive into his chosen distraction before the wrath inside him decides to take over. He’s slamming his locker shut and heading out the door when a thought crosses his mind. He checks the clipboard where their schedule is hanging, looks to see if what he dreads is there. 

It is, Raven’s working the afternoon shift too. 

It makes him antsy, the thought of having to work with that prick and pretend like he doesn’t want to rip his throat out. All AJ can do is stalk off to solo patrol and hope he doesn’t come face to face with the man.

~~xxxx~~

Bobby’s still walking aimlessly, having made his way to the business-y parts of Downtown from where he had started in Vinewood. He’s so in his own head, he barely has the wherewithal to not trip over the rough parts of the sidewalk and avoid bumping into people. He wishes his thoughts were in his control.

Looking up at an obnoxiously chic door as he passes, Bobby’s stopped in his tracks. He lets a huff of laughter out, shaking his head as he enters the familiar hipster bar behind the door. He thinks he could go for a juniper and clove Cosmo, or twelve. He’s making his way through the sea of tables to the bar, when a screeching squeal catches his attention. 

There’s Katya, perched at the furthest end of the bar, sucking down a neon yellow drink this time, because why wouldn’t she be drinking in the middle of the afternoon when court is in full swing. Bobby braces himself, unable to extract himself from the woman's gaze. He’s been caught and now he must indulge the judge. 

“BOBBY!,” Katya yells into the semi empty bar, arms flying outwards in a warm greeting, “Fuck! Yes! I was wanting some company that isn’t trying to fuck me,” she turns towards the bartender who had been leaning all over the bar to flirt with her, shooing him away with a wink, “You can go now, okay? Thanks.”

“Katya,” he tries to chastise, but fails, on the account that he doesn’t really care right now, “Don’t you have trials or something you should be at?”

“Nope, I pushed those off on LaBarre, he can get _fucked_ _._ I had a bench trial with Toretti this morning and it literally ruined my day, it went on for like three and a half hours! So, now I’m getting drunk!” 

“Well, that sounds reasonable,” he teases dryly, pulling a cocktail menu to him and glancing over it.

“I thought so. Anyway, what’s our noble and moral holding Chief doing here in the middle of the day? Seems out of character… you’re not turning into Raven, are ya?” Katya goads, obviously kidding.

It still strikes Bobby in a weird place, hesitantly answering, “I fucked up, I think. And now I want to-… actually, I don’t know what I want. I just ended up here I guess.” 

The words from Katya ring in his head, though. Turning into Raven was the last thing he ever wanted: to become a truly broken man who drowns his sorrows and worries in alcohol and pushes the people he loves so far away, they never get the chance to help him. Or support him. Or love him. 

The idea of letting that happen crashes down on Bobby, picturing all the things he could lose and the people he would cast out. He won’t let himself become that. It’s as Katya is calling out to the barkeep for two more sickly yellow drinks, that Bobby decides he doesn’t want to be here. He doesn’t want to sit and drink his problems away in the place that started this all with AJ. 

He hollers out that one will be fine, standing to make his exit much sooner than either one of them had been anticipating. Katya stares up at him like he’s crazy, but just shrugs and gives him a once over, “Decided this isn’t what you want, Smith?” 

He gives a curt nod, feeling stagnated by the environment suddenly. He’s looking around, like he’s scoping out an exit even though he knows where it is. Bobby makes sure to ask if she has a ride, not liking the way she’s leaning off the bar stool. She confirms that she does, pointing down the bar at the bartender that she’d been flirting with when Bobby walked in. He squeezes her shoulder in lieu of a proper goodbye before starting a brisk walk to leave. 

It seems every time he stops to decompress, he’s mind starts up another whirlwind. He doesn’t know if peace is anywhere to be found for him right now. He keeps walking through the bright cityscape, sun reflecting off the skyscrapers, cars zooming past him. It’s nice pretending that he can get lost in the chill atmosphere of this shiny metropolis, but he knows the rotting underbelly too familiarly to be deceived by the perfect weather and attractive people that pass him on his stroll. 

His phone rings out as he’s cycling through more and more depressing thoughts. It’s Copper. That does genuinely surprise him, but he’s eager in picking up, even though he doesn’t get a word in before she’s barking at him,

“Why the hell did you go off duty? Where are you?”

“Uhhh, walking around the hipster-y parts of Downtown.”

“Alright, I’m coming to pick your dumb ass up. Ping me,” she commands, sounding every bit the bad ass bitch she is.

The line dies before Bobby can even begin to reply, and he’s kind of grateful for that. Nerves shoot through the blonde and he can’t exactly pinpoint why. Maybe it’s because he’s tired of all the honest conversations he’s been having lately, and he knows Copper will force another one out of him. 

He’s still hopeful and slightly excited since he hasn’t seen his best friend in what feels like years. He wonders what she needs, if it’s work related or not, as he pings her his location and waits. He hopes she doesn’t tear him apart too badly, he really can’t handle anymore anguish today.

~~xxxx~~

AJ’s finishing up securing the scene of the latest 10-80 turned 10-50 turned 10-71 down in the canals, where they had wiped some of the members of the Prune Gang who had been trying to kill them for interrupting their third Fleeca robbery of the day. He’s trying desperately to focus on the evidence collection and placement of shell casings. It’s not working as EMS pulls off with Eugene and Mel, leaving AJ alone at the crime scene with the one and only, Vladimir Raven. 

He’s so tense and buzzing with riled energy, he doesn’t stop the little huffs of indignation he’s giving every time Raven asks him an appropriate, work related question. He turns away from the man, instinctively, when he comes over to hand AJ the evidence bag holding the gun Eugene had been using. He’s being a little bitch, he knows it, but he’s powerless to do anything to stop it. 

Raven’s noticed as well,

“Okay, what the fuck, Hunter?”

And, if he really wants to start this, AJ’s game. He’s been waiting for it he realizes, not necessarily Raven, but a heated confrontation of some sort.

“Excuse me?,” he asks, pushing the irate tone to the tip of his tongue, wishing he could spit actual venom in that moment. _C’mon Raven, come get it, bitch,_ he thinks bitterly, subconsciously straightening up in front of the man. 

“You sleep with my husband and now you’re being pissy with _me_ _?_ ," Raven accuses sharply, scoffing at the absurdity of the idea.

AJ explodes,

“Fuck you! You abandoned him! You fucking left him like trash. Don’t come at me with your bullshit logic. If you loved him, like actually _loved_ him, he never would have come to me,” AJ cant help bellowing at the older man, moving a step forward into his space, finger pointed towards his chest. 

“Shut your fucking mouth! Don’t you dare talk about things you have no understanding of. You know nothing about me and Bobby!,” Raven screams back, stepping to meet AJ in the middle, pretty close to nose to nose with the younger Sergeant.

“I know enough. I know that you will _never_ make him happy. I know you will _never_ be good enough. I know he deserves better,” he spits back at the man, feeling the wrath building just below the surface of his skin, ready to burst.

“Oh, like you, Hunter?!” Raven laughs out, feigning that it’s the funniest thing he’s heard all day. And like a movie, everything stills and that’s all AJ can see; Raven’s annoying, smug smile, and his head thrown back in near hysterics. Something in AJ breaks, and his insides become eerily calm, he knows he’s about to push a limit, can sense it like an incoming storm. 

It’s chilling, the way AJ’s voice loses all emotion as he sneers, “Maybe, maybe not… But, I do know he deserves more than a washed up, drunk, ex-detective who couldn’t handle being Chief. Who couldn’t handle his own, fucking, family. You’re nothing Raven, you’ll always be nothing.”

That’s where gunpowder meets spark, everything exploding all at once. Raven pulls back his fist before AJ can register the movement, and he’s knocked back, almost falling, before he can think to block the man or retaliate. The punch had made contact with the left side of his jaw, pain blossoming through his face, but it just lit a bigger fire under AJ. He doesn’t even get a chance to grip his jaw before he’s righting himself and flying at Raven, tackling him to the hard concrete and settling on top of him.

AJ draws all his force into three strong hits, directed right at Raven’s face. He can feel the man’s eyebrow split at one point, blood smearing over his knuckles. It’s like sensory overload, the fact that he’s breaking Raven open, and the evidence is spread all over his hands. He’s too busy trying to successfully get in more hits to notice Raven’s combat boot come up, plants itself in the center of his stomach and launch him backwards with incredible strength.

The wind gets knocked out of AJ, his chest aching when he hits the ground. He doesn’t get a chance to steady his breathing before Raven is on top of him, landing a single, powerful head butt to the center of AJ’s nose. All he can see is blackness at first, stars illuminating behind his eyes as he groans. Raven’s starting a litany of insults, gripping his collar and screaming nonsense that he can’t decipher. It does give AJ the chance to land the hardest southpaw he’s ever thrown, right in the side of Raven’s torso, his knuckles hitting ribs violently. Raven falls off to the side of him, overwhelmed by the shooting pain in his side.

They both scramble away from one another, bloodied and out of breath, and back into near identical fighting stances, waiting for the other to make a move. But, they don’t feel as up to it as either are trying to posture; Raven looks like it might be hard to stand with the way he’s holding his side and leaning to the right, and AJ isn’t faring much better with the way his nose is running like a faucet and his jaw is starting to pound. They’re at an impasse.

“He doesn’t even want me, Hunter! What’re you trying to prove?!,” Raven shouts, hobbling backwards a bit, seeming to disengage from the fight. AJ deflates almost immediately. It’s over, the lingering rage in him having been expunged from his system. He doesn’t feel good, but he does feel less chaotic. 

AJ doesn’t say anything in return, doesn’t feel like it would accomplish anything. He wipes as much blood dripping from his nose as he can on his sleeve, turning from Raven and making his way back to his cruiser. He can hear Raven’s pained grunts and curses as he peels off from the scene. 

AJ thinks it should make him feel better, hearing Raven say that Bobby doesn’t want him back. It doesn’t, it just makes the confusion bubble to the surface. He thinks he wants to see Bobby now, but he’s scared. He’s been a brat and caused some definite issues, all because he leaned into his gut reaction and didn’t listen. He’s a child and Bobby really doesn’t need another one of those.

~~xxxx~~

Bobby’s stuck in the Burger Shot parking lot, playing with the straw in his soft drink, a squeaky plastic noise filling Copper’s cruiser, as he pushes it in and out. It cuts through the weird silence. Copper keeps looking over at him as she inhales her lunch, staring into him like she can read his mind. (And really, what’s with the women in his life being able to see right through him?) He ignores the steely gaze on the side of his face and continues to act enthralled in his soda.

“So, you wanna tell me what the hell is going on between you and Hunter?,” Copper breaks the silence, balling up her burger wrapper and throwing it behind her into the backseat.

“Oh, so now you care?,” he bites, can’t help the snide remark. He’s still a little bitter that she’s been MIA for the last couple weeks. If she was around, she would already know what he’s been dealing with.

“Cut the bullshit, Bobby. You put me in a really shitty position, making me tell Raven,” Copper replies, leaning back in her seat, casual as all get out.

“I didn’t make you do shit,” Bobby grunts in reply, going on the defensive when he really doesn’t have any leeway to.

“Okay, not directly, but you did force my hand. Did you expect me to just keep that from him? One of my oldest and best friends? C’mon Bobby, what the fuck?,” she has the usual level of irritation in her voice, but Bobby still doesn’t like it directed at him and not a cadet or a criminal. 

He huffs a little, but bends to her point, “…No, I didn’t. I’m not-, I get why you told him. He was gonna find out anyway. It’s just that… you disappeared. Everything went to shit and you were gone. I needed you around.”

She looks at him a little bewildered before reigning the emotion back in, explaining, “Well, I needed a break. You and Raven? It’s exhausting being your guys’ friend. And then you wanted me there to console you? Raven wanting the same thing? I just fucking had enough, dude. You both made your bed, you know?”

He doesn’t appreciate how on the nose his best friend is all the time, it can be as frustrating as it is enlightening. Bobby takes a moment to intake what she had just said, and he’s left feeling guilty. He’s a shitty friend. She’s right. They pulled her in the middle, bitched the entire time and then wanted her to fix them at the end. They each fucked up in one way or another, and then both acted like they were the victim when it all fell apart. 

And through it all, Copper had wanted to help. She was actually there during most of it, offering what she could. He doesn’t even remember the last time he asked Copper how her day was going, or what was going on her life. He usually just dived into complaints about his job, or complaints about his husband, or complaints about his daughter’s choices... 

He really doesn’t deserve to call her a friend, let alone his best friend.

“We did, you’re right. We’ve been acting like assholes. I’m sorry, Liv. I mean it, I… I fucking suck right now.”

“It’s okay, just like, be a better friend. It doesn't even have to be all the time, cause I know you’re dick, I get it. But sometimes, just be better,” she shrugs, like it doesn’t matter, but Bobby can tell that it does. He hopes this is the start to repairing their friendship, hopes he hasn’t done any long lasting damage. 

“I can do that, I can definitely work on that,” he smiles over to her weakly, uneasiness still lingering in his chest. 

It’s comforting that she smiles back genuinely, lobbing a napkin at his head when she moves the conversation along, “Good, cool. Anyway, you gonna tell me about Hunter now?”

Bobby relays that tale to her, excluding Katya's involvement because Copper always gets jealous of his other female friends and he doesn’t need to open that can of worms right now. She doesn’t seem surprised by any of it though, nodding along, _hmm_ -ing when appropriate. He finishes the story, exhausted and leaning against the cruiser door when he gives her a look that says _Well, your thoughts please?_

He’s ready for guidance, ready for Copper to beat some truth into him.

She starts with a fairly simple question, “Are you in love with him?”

“What? No. I wouldn’t be getting a divorce if I still loved him, forehead,” he replies, scoffing.

“Not Raven, idiot, _AJ_. You in love with AJ?,” she inquires, taking a long drink from her cup and staring at him knowingly.

He thinks about it, thinks about last night and this morning with the man before he replies, “I could be. I mean, it would be very easy to fall in love with him.” 

“Yeah okay, you’re in love with him,” she decides, pompous expression on her features. Bobby’s starting to not like his decision to have this talk with her. 

“Alright there, let’s cool it down a little, okay? It’s too soon to be falling in love with anybody right now,” he back tracks, trying to convince her (and himself) that she’s terribly wrong, so wrong, completely incorrect. 

“Yet, here you are: finishing up your divorce but more worked up over the fact that you could lose Hunter.”

That makes Bobby blanch. How is Copper always right? He fucking hates her. 

The only response he can seem to muster up is, “I want him in my life.”

“Ugh, why?,” Copper mocks, not understanding the dilemma personally, “he’s like 20, dumb, hot headed-”

“He’s not 20,” Bobby corrects with an eye roll.

“Whatever, my point is that he’s stupid and young. And you’re stupid and old,” she pauses like she’s pondering that over, “Yeah… I guess you guys could work.” 

“Well, I appreciate the support,” he sighs. And he does appreciate it, knows that if Copper really didn’t like the idea of them together, she’d take this opportunity to let him know. 

“Just, don’t fuck Raven over with it though, it’s not fair.”

You can say whatever you want about Copper, but you can’t say she doesn’t love and care about her friends.

“Don’t worry, I’m not going to do that. Before this all turned into a dumpster fire, we both agreed to keep it secret until everything settles.”

“That’s smart. Well, you should text him, check in maybe? He was seriously worked up when I found him earlier, brooding up the locker room.”

That makes Bobby sit straighter in his seat, curiosity peaked, “What did he say?”

“He asked if you’re a cheater, and if you’re using him to get Raven to divorce with you,” Copper tells him, looking at Bobby with apprehension, hoping he doesn’t dissolve into a bitch fit in her cruiser.

“I’m not! Either of those things,” he assures, starting to fidget a bit in the passenger seat. The same anxiety as earlier creeping back in, leaving him wanting to just see AJ and talk to him.

“I know,” Copper says, reassuringly, “I told him that. He just seemed… really fuckin’ bummed out.” 

And that’s perfectly understandable, given today's events. But, Bobby is now fueled even more to go and see the man, desperately wanting to clear the air and get back to how things were less than six hours ago. 

“I should go see him,” he decides, more to himself than Copper. 

“You should let him finish his shift, give him some space,” she advises, putting the car back into drive and pulling out of the parking lot. But Bobby really doesn’t want to do that, he wants to explain to AJ that he doesn’t give a fuck about Raven. Not like that, not anymore. He wants to wrap AJ up in his arms and tell him he’s never going to hurt him in the way he hurt Raven, ever. Bobby doesn’t know if he’ll be believed, but he wants to say it anyway, just so it’s out there. 

He takes his best friend’s advice and shoots AJ a text, 

_When you want to talk or see me, I’m here. I hope you have a safe shift._

Copper tries unsuccessfully to convince him to come back on duty, and ends up dropping him off at MRPD so he can grab his car. He does get the chance to get caught up on her life during the drive, happy for the distraction and easy flow to their banter. When he’s walking to the department's parking garage, Copper hollers at him to stop being so damn emo and just work it out. 

Bobby hopes he’s given the chance to. 

~~xxxx~~


	5. i just gotta know what you and i would feel like

~~xxxx~~

The night has been slow overall, leaving AJ to pass the time alone in his cruiser, staring at his phone. His thumb repeatedly rubs over the screen where Bobby’s text message from earlier this afternoon sits. It stares him down, challenging him to grow a pair and reach out to the man. He can’t though, stuck in this loop of throwing his phone away from him, freaking out, becoming sullen, and then picking the phone back up to gaze at the words again. This is why he doesn’t do feelings. 

It’s just after ten in the evening, and AJ’s killing time outside of MRPD until he can clock out, but the minutes pass by slowly, he feels like he’s wading through molasses. He sighs staring at the thrown cell, leaning back to close his eyes tight and rub at his face, wincing when he accidentally hits his nose. The passenger side door swings open unexpectedly, Copper scaring the shit out of him and popping into the passenger seat nonchalantly. She gives him these big, knowing eyes, sits back like she had just asked a question and was waiting for AJ to answer. 

“What, Copper?,” AJ bites, not sure what this was about, but already not liking it.

She clears her throat softly, speaking in a friendly fashion, “You know, Raven had to go see Ducksworth today to get his eyebrow stitched up. He had some gnarly bruised ribs too. One has a slight fracture.”

AJ is silent at that statement, not expecting that this was where their talk would go. He averts his gaze to the stuccoed wall in front of his cruiser, edgy already, when he intones, “...That sucks.”

“Yeah,” Copper replies, a gentle exhale coming out. The casual air coming off her is a worry for AJ, he feels like he’s being set up (knows he’s being set up), “Must have been a rough call down in the canals…”

“Yup,” he curtly agreed, quick in his response this time, ready to get this shit show on the road.

“But, it was just a shoot out, right? I heard we wiped them,” she continues, faux-innocence starting to wear on the Sergeant.

“We did,” AJ confirms, looking over at the red head, hoping she gets to her point in the next hour.

“Huh! Funny…,” she surmises, sounding like it isn’t funny at all, “Looks like they fucked you up too.”

She’s pointing at his nose, eyes tracing the bruise on his jaw, when AJ has enough and snaps at her, “Yup! Eugene’s got a mean right hook.”

“Riiight,” she grins, eyes shifting from looking amused to dead, “Well, I’m glad we’re all on the same page. I’m glad Raven said the same thing about Eugene, the geriatric old man who apparently got the best of both of you. I’m glad we aren’t having dick measuring contests on duty about Bobby. I’m super glad you’re not looking for opportunities to get back at Raven for having a much needed conversation with his husband about their divorce. The same husband that chose _you_ , not Raven. I guess I’m just really glad you’re handling this maturely, Hunter.”

It’s not like he didn’t see this coming a few seconds ago, but AJ still feels trapped. He’s looking over her shoulder, focusing on the plastic siding of the car instead of meeting the intense gaze he knows she’s giving him. He lets out a shaky breath before shrugging noncommittally, “I’m handling it the best way I know how.”

Copper’s reply is instantaneous, “Find a better way.”

It seems final, like a warning. Like when AJ’s mom would tell him sternly for the last time to put the laundry up or he isn’t going anywhere on Friday night. She’s right, but he diverts it all when he mutters out, 

“Fuck Raven.”

He’s about knocked on his ass when Copper nods understandingly at the harsh and out of nowhere statement. She has a far away expression like she’s thinking about and accepting the idea. 

“Sure, fuck Raven! What a dick. Hope he burns. All that. But, when you get done being full of piss and vinegar, maybe you should think about the person you’re getting this riled up about in the first place,” she points out, turning forward in her seat to match how AJ’s sitting, both of them falling back into a hundred yard stare at the stucco wall.

“He’s all I’m thinking about, just so you know,” AJ whispers into the privacy of the car, like if he says it quiet enough maybe she won’t hear him be vulnerable.

Copper takes a few moments before speaking, really contemplating what to say to this idiot to not make him cry or flee, “This won’t fix anything, it won’t bring you two together like you want. But, talking to him might.”

AJ has this growing suspicion that Olivia Copper might always be right. He’ll never admit this outside of his thoughts though, doesn’t need her big dick energy getting any larger. 

He’s ready to see Bobby now, ready to lay down his fucking pride and grovel to the man. Beg him to see past his immaturity and rash decision making. He thinks if he gets drunk enough he might be able to tell his boss the repetitive and nagging thoughts that have plagued him all day,

_I feel like your second choice and it terrifies me that you’ll abandon me one day. That you’ll make me fall in love with you and sleep with the first officer who says you have a nice ass when you get tired of me._

AJ knows, deep down, if he were to be truly honest with him, really say what’s eating at his heart, that Bobby would do everything in his power to move them through it, together. He trusts Bobby, don’t ask him why or how, but he does. 

“I think I’ll do that,” AJ affirms, turning his gaze towards his co-worker, hoping she gets that this is his end of the conversation, that he wants her out so that he can find the quickest possible avenue to Bobby. She nods while shifting to exit the vehicle, and smiles at him brightly, (which sends a shiver up AJ’s spine, because he knows there's no sweetness behind that sugary grin) beaming when she warns,

“I’m glad to hear it. Oh and one last thing? The next time you bring your relationship issues to work and fuck with a coworker, I’m gonna rip you apart, okay? There’s no amount of denial from you or Raven that will stop me from fucking you both up the ass with my night stick ‘til you choke. Got it? Good. Have a good night, Hunter.”

 _‘She actually scares the shit out of me,'_ he thinks, waiting for Copper to peel off in her own cruiser before venturing out of his car to go and clock out. 

~~xxxx~~

The night air is crisp as it whips through the rolled down windows of Bobby’s new Camaro. He slightly understands why dogs stick their heads out of cars in this moment, the wind feeling like the perfect reprieve from spiraling thoughts and coursing anxiety, allowing Bobby to tune out. 

He’d decided he needed to drive after Copper had dropped him off. Needed to pick up some speed on the highway, hopefully clear his head of the things he couldn’t control. Once he started driving though, he found himself unable to stop and go home. He’s been out for the better part of the evening, stopping off at the beach at one point to just zone out while the setting sun burnt his good eye. 

If he’s being honest, he’s stricken with the fear that AJ’s done with him and it’s all over before it begun. He couldn’t find the will to follow his best friends advice, succumbing to the emo in him, allowing sorrow to drape over his shoulders. And god damn it, the universe owes him that. It owes him some uninterrupted time to wallow about getting what he wants and then having it ripped away twelve hours later. 

He’s approaching the transition to Del Perro freeway from the Palomino freeway, about to merge and continue on his destination-less journey, when his phone trills at a quarter to eleven. He doesn’t even pause to look at the caller ID on the screen, answering within seconds and hoping down to his bones it’s AJ. He can’t stop the way his voice trembles on the word _hello._

“Hey, are you free right now?” AJ asks, sounding small. He’s equal parts relieved and now worried.

“Yes!,” he answers eagerly, wanting to get out words before he has a chance to think about them, “AJ, I’m so sorry you had to-”

“Bobby, stop. Just… come to my house? Please? I want to see you,” he implores, conveying the opposite of the confidence he usually wore like a second skin. Bobby’s immediate in his agreement, telling the man he’d be there in fifteen. AJ hums his approval before mumbling, “Drive safe, yeah?”

The line clicks dead before Bobby can reply and he breaks about thirteen traffic laws getting to the man. He’s there in nine minutes, drawn like a man dying of thirst to an oasis. He wouldn’t have slowed himself even if the whole of the LSPD had been behind him, sirens lit up. He has a similar set of nerves and worries as the last time he was here, rushing through AJ’s apartment complex to his front door: Will AJ want him? What does he say to the man? 

He doesn’t hesitate in knocking this time though.

AJ swings the door open like he had been eagerly anticipating him, and all Bobby can see is the bright red split skin on the bridge of his nose and the purplish, blue bruise forming on his jaw. He’s shocked, AJ is not the type of officer to let criminals get close enough to throw hands and usually comes out of his shift with nothing other than a shot up vest. He can’t stop himself from moving forward into the house to cup his face, turning his head to examine the injury out of worry.

“Who the hell fucked up your face?!,” he screeched, assessing each injury like he knows anything about medicine or helping him heal. Bobby wants a name, wants to make sure the next time he runs into the scumbag who marred his Sergeant, he can deal out a little personal justice. 

“Uhhhh,” AJ trails, looking guilty and not excited to finish his sentence, “Your husband, actually.”

Bobby squeezes his eyes shut and shakes his head, like if he does it hard enough that won’t be true. It’s not that he’s in disbelief, it’s actually a very easy thing to believe. He just wants it to not be true, doesn’t want anymore complications than there already are. He opens his eyes to see AJ avoiding him, and sighs out,

“What the fuck... Jesus, AJ. I’m so sorry, I can’t believe he’s actually taking it this far! I thought we were on the same page, that fucking _asshole…_ Okay, well, we need to set up a meeting with Andrews and internal affairs. This isn’t okay, he can’t-,” Bobby’s explaining before AJ cuts him off,

“Bobby, no, stop. It’s not-, I started it. It was my fault. I was… being a petty bitch and he tee’d off on me. We both acted like fucking idiots. _I’m_ sorry, I shouldn’t have said anything. I shouldn’t have _done_ anything, I was just… so fucking worked up about earlier and wasn’t thinking-,”

AJ’s busy trying to explain away everything, taking responsibility and holding himself accountable; things that, in any other moment, Bobby would be so extremely appreciative of. But not right now. He truly does not give a single fuck how much of their confrontation is AJ’s fault in this moment, he has only one burning question, and he interrupts the man to ask him,

“Did you get him back?”

It catches AJ off guard, having readied himself for the lecture of the decade from the Chief of Police. The question doesn’t fully register with him and he has to ask for clarification, 

“What?”

Bobby’s lightly grazing the edge of his sore nose with his thumb, peering at AJ with rage in his eyes when he re-words the query, “Did you get Raven back?”

AJ’s heart flickers in delight at that, and he doesn’t know what that says about his character, but whatever, 

“Yeah,” he confirms, a small smile on his lips, “I fractured a rib.”

“Good boy,” the blonde coos darkly, leaning in to leave soft kisses around the sensitive injury. Bobby can’t resist the urge to run his fingers through AJ’s hair, trying to soothe the man while peppering love around his damaged face. AJ whimpers out, the sound tiny and yearning. It’s music to the older man's ears, but he pulls back hesitantly, knowing a discussion still needs to take place.

“It’s not broken?,” he asks, still holding onto AJ.

“Raven’s got a thick fucking skull, but no, I don’t think so. He just fucked up some cartilage and split the skin, I’ll be alright,” AJ assures, hand coming up to cover Bobby’s on the un-bruised side of his jaw.

Bobby usually feels uncomfortable in people’s direct gaze, but not with AJ. He feels safe, and warm, and doesn't want to look away for anything. He decides to pull open his emotions, and expose what he’s been daydreaming of saying to the brunette all evening,

“...I’m sorry AJ. This afternoon, I didn’t- I wasn’t doing anything with Raven today but finalizing divorce stuff. It was a surprise, meeting up with him. Our daughter fucking ambushed us, or I would have told you. I don’t want you to ever think I’d do that to you. I would never cheat on you AJ, ever.”

AJ looks like he’s internally dragging himself over coals when he weakly prods, “Even when you don’t know how to break up with me?”

Bobby sucks in a long, shuddery breath and steels himself so that he can finish ripping his heart open to reply,

“I don’t see me ever breaking up with you, but if I do, I promise it will be after I get done punching myself in the face for being a _moron_ and not by sleeping with somebody else. That night… I went home with you because I _wanted_ to, I think I’ve wanted to since I met you. It felt right and I trusted you to not… hurt me. I just wanted to feel something _good_ for one fucking second and the only person I could think of to give me that, was you. I went about it selfishly and carelessly, and I hope that one day I can make it up to you. You’re not a way to get out of my marriage, AJ. Please, if you believe anything I've ever said, let it be that.”

AJ’s scanning his face for the punchline, for the ugly, heart breaking truth that Bobby doesn’t want him. When Bobby stops speaking to let his thoughts float in the entrance to AJ’s home, the Sergeant realizes those dreaded words aren’t coming. He doesn’t want Raven back, Bobby wants him. A physical weight feels lifted from his shoulders and he slumps, body falling closer to Bobby’s. He all of a sudden feels like a brat, a stupid, insipid little child. AJ purges the next set of words from his mind before he can filter or edit them, just desperate to get them out,

“I believe you, I do Bobby. I’m so _sorry_. I’m a fucking mess and I didn’t even let you explain. I just did what I always do and freaked the _fuck_ out at the first sign someone was keeping something from me. And that’s childish, I know it is, but it’s like I can’t control it. Do you see what I mean when I said I don’t know what I’m doing? Cause I don’t. I do trust you Bobby… I think maybe I shouldn’t? But I do. And I just want to be with you.”

Bobby has been holding his handsome face through the entirety of their confessions, thumb rubbing skin that isn’t bruised and sore. He’s so glad he can have this type of discussion now, so glad he’s with a man who values him more than his own stubborn pride. His boyfriend still looks on edge though, obviously not used to such an open display of his feelings. He pulls AJ into his arms, another chaste embrace that means more to him than any Bobby’s ever had before.

AJ pushes the door behind Bobby closed, sliding his hands up the back of his shirt and caressing the skin underneath like he’s been wanting to do it all day. Bobby’s nails are bluntly running over the back of his neck, their foreheads pushed together, sharing the same breath. It’s easy to follow AJ as he pulls Bobby back into his bedroom, it’s easy to fall on to the bed with him. 

It’s even easier to lay out and let AJ kiss his breath away. AJ touches him like he’s fleeting, like if he doesn’t graze over Bobby’s fair skin with gentle hands, the man might flee. It’s all in all, a very demure embrace. They don’t make any moves to push into something else, to remove clothes or further anything, truly content to just be with one another. 

The room is illuminated by the moon streaming in through the window, shining on the men tangled in each other. Their kisses don’t cease, just soften. Bobby and AJ end up lying on their sides, unbreakable gaze like a tether to one another; AJ holding Bobby’s body against his by the hip, Bobby caressing AJ’s face like it’s his favorite thing in the world to do. 

They don’t speak again, lying peacefully in the moonlight; they don’t need to.

They fall asleep together, in the calm of the early night, finally where they wanted to be all along.

~~xxxx~~

Bobby’s floating through thick layers of sleep, the gentle breeze of consciousness filtering into his thoughts. It eases it’s way into the sleepy parts of Bobby’s mind, like an old friend. He can feel himself being slowly pulled from his slumber.

Until it’s not slow at all. 

He’s jerked into alertness by a gentle spike of pleasure, becoming vividly aware of two things: the morning sun is filling the room obnoxiously, hurting his remaining functional eye and there’s a tepid, steady breath on his dick.

Somehow, with Bobby distracted by the grip of sleep, AJ had managed to unbutton and unzip the pants he was still wearing from the night prior, pushing them down enough that his semi hard, brief covered cock is exposed. Squinting down at the man, Bobby can’t help the sultry little smile that finds its way onto his lips. AJ’s breathing is shallow, his warm breaths puffing over Bobby’s covered morning wood and he looks entirely the part of a kid caught with their hand in the cookie jar, open mouthed and eyes wide. It’s disgustingly endearing, and what Bobby would call super fucking cute. 

“Morning babe. Whatcha doin’?,” Bobby croaks out through a sleepy, morning riddled voice. 

“Well, you were hard when I woke up, so, I thought I’d lend you a hand,” AJ teases, inching the fingers grasping the open fly upwards. 

“Mmmmm,” he moans out, his own hand slipping down to card through chocolate locks, “Think I’d prefer a mouth.”

“Coming right up,” AJ grins, moving back to unceremoniously yank Bobby’s pants and underwear off, shedding his own sweat pants and tank top in the process. Of course, he’s not wearing underwear and of course, his giant cock springs out like a porno, taunting Bobby. He stares openly, he’s allowed to do that now, be a complete wanton slut for AJ.

The man already looks rigidly hard, making Bobby wonder just how long AJ had been awake and teasing him. He feels overdressed with his shirt from yesterday still clinging to him, and wants desperately to assist AJ with his problem, even as he strains against his briefs at the sight of the younger man standing at the end of the bed. Bobby’s sitting up to pull his last remaining item of clothing off, when he feels the bed dip, AJ crawling back up to him.

“You see what you do to me even in your sleep, Bobby? It’s not fair,” AJ mock pouts, resuming his position hovering over his hips. He doesn’t give Bobby the chance to reply, taking the slightly damp head into his mouth and sucking so softly, barely any pressure being applied. Bobby flops back onto the mattress, the soft touch sending shivers down his legs but not enough to really achieve anything. 

The plush mouth around him feels like sin, and when the tongue lightly swirls around the tip, Bobby’s hips push up slightly, desperate for more even though they’d just begun. AJ lets the man thrust into his mouth shallowly, lips closed around him, but mouth lax. He takes Bobby’s hand and pushes it into his hair, a clear sign that he wants Bobby to take the reins. The blonde grips his hair and angles AJ’s head so that he can snap his hips up delicately, fucking into his mouth with restraint. He’s worried about making the man bump his nose or overworking his bruised jaw. It’s enough though, sliding in and out, AJ letting out little sounds that vibrate up Bobby’s cock.

Busy with his head being thrown back and lightly fucking his boyfriends mouth, Bobby doesn’t notice the lube AJ pulled out from somewhere on the bed until a slick finger begins teasing his rim. And, really, that’s the quickest way to get Bobby from zero to one hundred. His legs spread without his consent, hips shifting to give room while also forcing his dick to hit the back of AJ’s throat. It makes him gag a little, and he would absolutely be apologetic if he wasn’t so ready to get fucked. 

He can’t help voicing his want, hands leaving his hair to ball up in the sheet below him so he won’t accidentally force AJ back down on his cock, “Fuuuck, AJ, hurry. Please, just- wanna feel you again.”

Bobby can feel the huffed out laughter around him, AJ looking up to meet his eyes as he wastes no time in beginning to prep the man, pushing two fingers in slowly, focusing on stretching the blonde out. It’s not nearly enough, but Bobby sighs out like it is, relaxing his muscles to allow AJ to slide in fully and easily. He’s scissoring his fingers wide, making Bobby moan quietly, letting a third slip in to speed up the process; foreplay is not where AJ wants to linger this morning. He remembers intimately where Bobby’s prostate is and can’t help rubbing against it every other spread of fingers. He doesn’t stop getting his face gently fucked, although Bobby is slowly pausing, the stimulation from both fronts too much for him; the older man doesn’t want to end things here either.

Bobby’s pushing AJ away from him suddenly, making his mouth and fingers disengage completely, and then pulling the man up to him by the hair unkindly. The sharp pain makes AJ’s dick twitch as it slides up against Bobby’s, pushing into a wet, sloppy kiss, both of them moaning like sluts into it. AJ starts to grind against Bobby, propped up over his shoulders on tensed arms. The brunette is licking into his mouth when Bobby gets a hand around the both of them, mostly around AJ though, ‘cause damn, that girth is impressive. They're both leaking precome, making each stroke of Bobby’s hand glide easier around them. It’s easy to get lost in the moment, exploring each others mouths and rutting into the firm grasp around their cocks. 

This lasts until Bobby pushes the younger man back, groaning, “You gonna fuck me? Or should we just come like this?”

“I could Bobby, I could come like this. I could come just from kissing you if I tried,” AJ whispers, leaning down to push his forehead against Bobby’s, staring into his eyes far too intimately for the context of this situation. 

“ _Jesus_ , AJ, oh my god,” Bobby breathes, shuddering, a copious amount of pre spurting out to bead at the tip of his cock at AJ’s open and weirdly romantic statement. 

“But I think I’d rather be buried in this ass right now,” he decides, sitting back to pull Bobby’s legs so they’re spread on either side of his hips, lubing himself up. He can’t help watching AJ stroke himself slick, realizing he will probably be forever enamored with his perfect cock.

Bobby is beyond ready when AJ reaches over him to grab a pillow and shove it under his lower back, moving his hips to settle at the perfect angle for the Sergeant to be able to push in with ease. AJ teases the head of his dick back and forth over his entrance, watching Bobby huff out these bratty little sighs. He finally begins to push in when his cock catches on his rim slightly and a desperate whine breaks from the man below him.

Bobby fucking relishes in it, stretching his arms over his head and moaning through the burn. He’s so viscerally turned on, he can’t bear it, goose bumps appearing over his skin, nipples hardening, back arching. He’s such a size queen and he never even fucking realized it, not until AJ came around. He doesn’t think he’ll be able to fuck anything other than AJ’s cock with this level of satisfaction ever again.

AJ distracts himself from the vice like grip around his shaft by watching Bobby come apart on his dick, mesmerized at the blonde and in awe. He’s caressing Bobby’s sides, nails grazing the skin and leaving little welts in their wake, watching the minute amount of pain mix with the rapture on his face. He bottoms out and just stares as his boyfriend squirms, feels him tense and release around his cock, head turning to gasp into a pillow like he’s dying. AJ decides in that moment he doesn’t ever want anyone else underneath him, just Bobby and his cute scrunched up face and twitching legs; God, AJ was fucking gone over this man. He rocks his hips side to side, taking his time and letting Bobby continue to mewl into the bed linens like he’s being fucked stupid, until he can't bear it anymore.

“Bobby, I can’t-... You’re so fucking hot, fuck, _fuck_. You’re perfect,” AJ groans, leaning over to cover the blonde’s body and mouth at his jaw, he needs another distraction because Bobby’s reaction to just having his dick in him is pushing at the brunette’s constitution. Bobby’s hands reach up to grab at AJ’s back, nails digging into his shoulder blades and hips starting to jerk upwards, shimming against AJ’s pelvis. 

“Fuck me baby, please. Fucking wreck me,” he whines, so ready to be used and fucked raw by his boyfriend, past the point of trying to pretend he’s not wantonly desperate. 

And AJ couldn’t have said no or stopped himself if there was a gun to his head. He starts a slow rhythm, pulling out meticulously and pushing back in gradually, up on his arms again to watch Bobby writhe under him. His hands are frantically running over AJ’s body, not knowing where to land, wanting to touch all of him. His legs wrap fully around AJ’s waist and the younger man is able to finally focus on his strokes into the smaller man, finding his prostate at last and not letting up. Each strike against the nerves has his entire body tightening up, has him whimpering out tartly. AJ can’t help picking up the pace just to hear Bobby’s voice break on his name. He’s staring up at the brunette like he’s an anomaly, hand coming up to grip the uninjured side of his jaw and make the man focus on him, make AJ’s eyes meet his as they move together.

Once AJ makes eye contact, it’s like he’s entranced, put under the blondes spell and unable to look away. He feels drawn in to fall onto his forearms so that he can fuck into Bobby at ease while also pushing their lips together in another scathing kiss. They’re pressed chest to chest now, Bobby’s arms coming to wrap around his neck and head to keep AJ there and kissing him. He feels Bobby’s cock, hard as glass, rubbing against his abs, precome smearing. There’s a vicious twitch inside him from AJ, it makes Bobby gasp into his mouth and try to grind back harder against the continued thrusts. 

A wicked idea comes to the Chief and he untangles a hand from AJ to reach down and swipe through the mess on their stomachs. When his fingers are covered in enough pre for his liking, he pulls back from AJ’s lips to shove the messy digits into his mouth without warning. AJ is stuck in space and time for a moment, Bobby’s fingers massaging his tongue, the salty taste sending his brain into overdrive, as he croons, “Do I taste good, baby?”

AJ’s only response is to groan out and suck at the appendages, lapping at the sticky mess and fucking into Bobby at an accelerated pace, skin slapping sounds obnoxiously taking over the room. The simple act has turned AJ animalistic, hands going to latch onto to hips so that he can fuck into him savagely. When Bobby finally pulls his fingers away, AJ lets out a feral growl, starting these short, rough pounds into the man. He hikes Bobby’s legs high up on his hips and shoves in hard, knowing he’s knocking the wind out of him each time. The stretch of the ruthless thrusts have Bobby reeling. He can feel the familiar coil in his tummy, could come right now if he focuses on it. AJ stops that real quick, sees the way Bobby's body tenses and forces his hips to come to a halt, leaving Bobby groaning in frustration. 

AJ doesn’t care though, ignores the pouty little moans and starts to pull out slowly, making Bobby panic for a moment, not wanting to lose the feeling of being filled. It makes AJ smirk, loving how addicted to his cock the man is becoming. 

“Sweetheart, come on,” he coos at Bobby, breathing labored as he shifts to lay on his back. He slaps his own thigh and looks over to the wrecked man lying prone next to him, “Wanna watch you ride me ‘til I come, you promised me I’d get to see that.”

Bobby decides in that moment that AJ is perfect, reminding him of the thing he wanted but forgot. With the words out of AJ’s mouth and the image in his head, he doesn’t want anything but that now. He can’t help the intense moan that wrings out of him, ready to fuck himself on AJ and come. He somehow finds the will to command his body into movement, sitting up to sling a leg over AJ’s hip and settle down on his pelvis. AJ’s big hands are guiding and Bobby wastes no time in lining up and sinking back on to the now deep red tipped cock; it’s nice knowing that AJ is as overwhelmed as he is. 

AJ expects some hesitation at first, but is met with Bobby falling into this half lean over his torso, steadying himself with two hands below AJ’s sternum, and beginning to straight up bounce on and off his dick. Immediately, and not stopping. Bobby’s biting his lip, focused on the pace of his hips and his cock rutting against AJ’s lower stomach. He can feel the vibrations ripple through his entire pelvis every time his ass slaps down against his boyfriend’s lap. A thought briefly flits through his mind, _This is twerking I’m pretty sure,_ but disappears when AJ hisses like he’s dying. The brunette is quickly becoming undone, because this is the single greatest feeling mixed with single greatest sight, he's ever experienced. If God struck him dead in this moment, he’d die complete. 

AJ is staring up in worship, nails slicing into the stretched thin skin over Bobby’s hip bones, as he whines out, “Fuckin’ hell! Fuck, you like that baby boy? Like fucking yourself on me, taking every last inch, Je- _sus_ Christ! This ass is mine, you hear me baby? You listenin’? You’re fucking _mine,_ Bobby.”

Not stopping the rhythmic pace of his lift and fall, Bobby squeezes his eyes shut and nods vigorously, because he is, he is _so_ AJ’s it’s ridiculous. He has this primal urge to show neck and cow down, submit himself to every whim of the younger man, wants to wrap himself in the notion that he’s owned by him and no one else. The thought of being AJ’s, being used and fucked at the man’s desire, burns through him, makes his stomach tighten and breath catch. He starts to lose the flow of his bouncing, causing a stuttering against his prostate with AJ’s dick that’s just rapid and abrupt enough to make him come out of nowhere. He sees white for a few seconds, body shivering from head to toe, slowing his strokes to a near stop. He’s rendered speechless, tensing up around AJ’s cock while starting a jerky grind back and forth to wring the rest of his orgasm out of himself. 

Bobby finishes pulsing hot streaks of white against AJ’s tanned skin and starts whimpering when he’s brought some air back to his lungs. AJ’s thick shaft is pressed snug against his prostate now that he is fully seated on him and not moving, sending spikes of pleasure through already spent muscles. He looks down and sees AJ, slack jawed with wonder clouding his vision. Bobby’s overstimulated a bit, but wants to make the tanned man come so badly. He leans down, arms bracing his weight on AJ’s chest and mewls, “Yeah, I’m yours, AJ, I’m fucking yours. Please come in me, please. I need it, wanna feel it baby. Make me yours.”

And that’s all it really takes, Bobby begging him to come while perched on his cock. That’ll always do it for AJ. He’s bucking up into Bobby roughly before he can register the movement, jostling him forwards with each thrust, cutting off breaths and gasp when he explodes, hips stuttering against his cheeks, no doubt leaving bruises in their wake. Bobby feels the warmth inside him, realizes there’s no condom this time and drops his upper body to fully lie on AJ’s chest. He’s groaning in pleasure, fucking his hips back to milk his boyfriend while he comes apart, losing his mind at the idea of being filled, truly marked from the inside out by AJ. His groin feels hot and tingly, and he can’t help trying to full out ride AJ again. 

AJ’s just sucking in air, hands still clasped to Bobby’s hips, forcing him to stop after a few minutes. It’s too much. And Bobby may be getting hard again, but AJ can’t, not after fully emptying himself into the blonde. He's filled with the want to watch his come drip of the man’s stretched out, puffy rim. Or play with it. He isn’t picky. 

Bobby raises himself off of the softening cock on shaky legs slowly, choking out little whimpers at the come he can feel sliding down his taint, whiny at the idea of losing any of it from inside him. He’s going to move off of AJ, but is yanked forward, landing back in his own come when AJ secures their chests together. The Sergeant is holding him firmly in place, forcing him against his torso with knees bracketed around the sides of his lower stomach. He’s bent over the top of AJ, struggling to keep up with what is happening. Bobby yelps when he feels two fingers start playing with the warm come seeping out of him, rubbing it onto his rim and pushing it back into his hole. He thinks his entire body must turn red, flushing with arousal too strong for having just come. 

AJ’s got his head tucked into the crook of his neck, _hmmm_ -ing softly in Bobby’s ear. The Chief’s nose is buried in the brunette's neck, panting out short breaths as AJ lightly fucks Bobby’s stretched rim with his dripping come. It’s dirty and raw, and Bobby can’t stop his hips from grinding back into it. AJ kisses his sweaty forehead, begins to pump his finger in time with Bobby and really push into him. His hole is sore, but it’s not too much, not yet. He glides back in tandem with AJ, cock hard again, sliding through the puddle of come he’d left earlier. 

He thinks he might be able to come again, without his dick being touched, and groans into AJ’s skin. The younger man finally reaches to prod at his prostate, tips of his digits rubbing concentric little circles into the bundle of nerves. He full on screams the younger man’s name into the room, sounding possessed and spent. And Bobby is a very high strung person in many ways, so it’s not completely surprising to AJ when the fair skinned man bites into his neck and orgasms again after a half a minute of stimulation to his spot, virtually no come left in his balls to shoot.

It’s the most ridiculous, mind-numbingly attractive thing AJ’s ever seen. This is like his ultimate fantasy come to life, a sweaty spent blonde with a great ass, covered in come, and whimpering in his arms. Bobby’s ready to pass out, shivering in his own mess with AJ’s fingers still pushing in and out slowly, making him gasp out sweetly. He’s boneless, laying his full body weight against AJ and trying to make his brain come back online. He’s grateful for the man who takes control, finally withdrawing his fingers and rolling Bobby off to lay on the mattress. He’s a mess, just completely debauched and drained of energy. He knows he needs a shower, but there is no way he’s standing on his fucked out legs anytime soon. 

AJ settles back against the pillows and pulls Bobby’s entire body to rest snug against his side, in yet another immensely impressive display of his strength. He leans down and kisses the top of his head, arm coming round to secure Bobby to his side. His eyelid is drooping, exhaustion crashing down on him. He’s trying to fight sleep, but is failing. AJ’s carding a hand through his blonde locks and that does it, forces him to cuddle into the younger man and let sleep over take him. 

~~xxxx~~

When Bobby comes to, he feels well rested and surprisingly, relatively clean. Not spotless, because that would be impossible without a proper shower, but like AJ had done his best with a washrag. He sits up, and looks around the room, no longer as full of sun as earlier indicating that is was probably getting closer to afternoon than he had been anticipating. He also notes that there is a severe lack of a certain British boyfriend, leaving him alone to stretch out the sore muscles he'd gained just a few hours ago in a very empty bed. He can't help being a little pouty about being abandoned after such a thorough fucking, wishing he could relish in AJ's arms, as opposed to falling immediately asleep like he had.

A frightful sound peals from the bathroom connected to AJ's bedroom, a melodic screech that Bobby thinks is probably the source of noise that pulled him from his mid-morning nap. Falling back into sullied sheets, Bobby can't help the soft grin that pulls at his lips, listening to AJ's wretched singing voice, the light sounds of a shower running being the younger man's backing track to whatever he was belting out. Joyful, is the only word Bobby's brain supplies to describe the horrible sound. He'd happily listen to that every morning for the rest of his life. His heart throbs, staring forlornly at the wooden door, cracked open letting steam and butchered lyrics into the bedroom. 

Bobby's in the process of sitting up, willing himself to join the brunette, when his cell phone rings from his work pants thrown across the room. Begrudgingly, he stalks over to grab it, a slight hitch in his step. If it was anybody besides Zelda, he thinks he would send them straight to voicemail, but decides he should probably see what his Sergeant wants.

"Yes, Copper?"

"You know, I'm very glad you're working your shit out, in like, a healthy way, but that doesn't make it okay for the Chief of Police to no call/no show after dipping out on his shift the day before," she lectures, not really sounding very upset at all.

"You're right, it's totally unacceptable. You know what? I'm gonna write myself a very heartfelt, sincere apology letter and then beg myself to not give me strikepoints," he can't help sassing, making his way across the bedroom to lean against the bathroom doorway, pushing it open fully so he can stare at AJ's lean, dripping back through the glass shower door. AJ's singing cuts off as he spins to glare at Bobby without heat in his eyes, wicked smirk appearing on his handsome features. If Bobby's open smile in return could be described in words, it would be called 'cheesy', or 'infatuated', or 'completely, totally, irrevocably in love'. 

"Yeah, whatever, asshole. Are you coming in at all today?" she asks, trying to sound put out and failing.

"I don't know, hold on," he says, pulling the phone slightly away from his mouth, but not enough that Copper can't hear him ask AJ, "You work today, babe?"

AJ huffs out a laugh, and shakes his head, finger curling in Bobby's direction in a way that says _get your ass off the phone and in here, before I come grab you myself._ Bobby is eager to comply and responds to his best friend swiftly,

"Nah, I don't think I'm gonna make it. But, make sure to send the Chief my apologies, okay? Bye, Liv."

He ends the call before she can get out a scathing reply, throwing his phone behind him in the direction of the bed, and moving towards his soaking boyfriend like he's being drawn to him by an invisible string. 

~~xxxx~~

Bobby's not use to nice things that last. He's not use to falling into something kind and having it not abandon him. He doesn't know if he's unlucky or just dumb, but he feels like maybe he's getting smarter or his luck is taking a turn for the better.

He can't say that anything with AJ will be forever, but he can say he's finally happy. He can wake in the morning now and not dread every second that follows. He can clock out of work and not feel like he's killing time to turn back around and waste more of his life on a city that doesn't give a fuck about him. He can look at the man he loves now and not be scared of having feelings.

Yeah, Bobby's not use to things working out for him, but he thinks this just might be the time it does.

And that's enough for now.

~~xxxx~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That’s it folks! I hope you enjoyed it. This is the first multi-part work I’ve ever finished and I really enjoyed writing it. I love these boys so much, if you couldn’t tell. And this was such a guilty pleasure to write!
> 
> They deserve a happy ending! ♥️
> 
> (Oh and btw AJ’s totally singing Bad Ideas in the shower, cause of course he is)


End file.
